


All Or Nothing

by waitwhathuh



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alcohol, Exes, F/F, Probably a twist on the fake dating trope in there, Some angst, drunk marriage, let's see where this goes, lots of messy feelings, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-09-20 04:18:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9475325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitwhathuh/pseuds/waitwhathuh
Summary: For Laura, running into her ex is mortifying enough. What's more mortifying is waking up after a crazy night in Las Vegas next to her ex. And, wait, why are they both suddenly wearing wedding bands?





	1. Many Ragrets

**Author's Note:**

> You ever wonder just how many tropes you can fit into one fic?

"I'm just saying, there are plenty of other places you could go for vacation. Why not something relaxing by a beach – if you can avoid the diphtheria. And sharks. I don't think they make shark spray but I will raise a lot of hoopla until they do-"

"Dad," Laura huffed, placing a stack of clothes in her suitcase. "I appreciate the concern, but you know more than anyone how much I need to get away and let loose for a bit. Las Vegas seems like the perfect place for that."

"The 'letting loose' is exactly what I'm worried about. I've seen the TV ads. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? This kind of mentality where you magically don't have to own up to the consequences of your actions is _exactly_ what is ruining today's youth," Laura's dad ranted. Laura sighed, turning her attention away from her suitcase on the couch to grab he father's arms and look at him straight in the eye.

"Dad, I am an adult. I can take care of myself. Promise," Laura assured him, and then returned to her packing.

"I know. I know you are. I'm still coping with the fact that you don't need your dear old dad to protect you from the dangers of the world anymore," he mumbled, looking dejected.

"I'll always need you, dad. Don't worry," Laura promised. "You'll always be there to pick me up when I fall. You just need to give me a chance to walk without stumbling first."

"…I may have held you up for the first month or so after you started walking when you were a toddler."

"Dad," Laura rolled her eyes.

"Can you blame me? It's scary when you fall. I'm always worried it won't be something you can get up from again. Like after that ex-girlfriend you had back in college-" he started, but Laura whipped around with a glare.

"Dad!" Laura snapped. "Do you always have to bring that up?"

Laura softened when she saw her dad's disposition. He seemed so worried.

"Just be careful," he requested softly.

"I'm not planning to get into any relationship drama in Las Vegas. Just some fun times with friends to forget about work. That's all," Laura swore.

"And you're still sure you want to do Las Vegas? I've read on the internet about this new trend called a 'staycation'. Very hip with the kids," Laura's dad continued.

"Dad…" Laura groaned.

"Okay, okay. Just checking," he relented, watching Laura finally zip up her over-stuffed suitcase. "Have fun, sweetie."

Laura looked up at him, smiling.

"Love you, dad," Laura enveloped him in a big hug.

"Love you, too," he returned the hug, but quickly stood back. "And go easy on the gambling."

Laura's eyes rolled once again, but she chuckled.

"Yes, dad," Laura agreed, grabbing her suitcase.

"And stick close to LaFontaine and Perry," he ordered.

"Sure thing."

"And watch out for bears. And sharks. I'll get working on that shark spray."

"I know you will, dad."

* * *

Despite the overzealous worrying and doting of Laura's father, Laura found herself with her two best friends from college amongst the hustle and bustle of tourist pandemonium and neon lights. Talk about sensory overload.

"I just think it's strange – which, don't get me wrong, I'm cool with strange – but Britney Spears is such a big global name and she's stuck here unlike other recording artists. She could be touring the world," LaFontaine, one of Laura's friends, made conversation as they made their way down the street.

"Excuse me. Queen Britney has it all figured out, if you ask me. She's a single mom. This way she can stay in one place with her kids and still get to perform for a large audience and make money on the regular. She's already done the tour thing," Laura argued. "I wish I had my career figured out like that."

"Oh, Laura, stop thinking about work. We took you here to this… filthy city to help you get your mind off of it," Perry, Laura's other friend, chimed in.

"I'm sorry. It's just – I'm trying to make a difference in the world and I feel like I'm going to forever be stuck at the bottom of the ladder at this rate. I'd be happy if they gave me a responsibility bigger than making photocopies," Laura pouted, the buzz of Las Vegas suddenly dulled.

"Well, that's what you get for getting into journalism," LaF shrugged. Perry shot them an annoyed glance.

"LaFontaine!" she chided.

"No, LaF's right. Did I even make the right choice going into this?" Laura sighed. LaFontaine and Perry looked at each other in concern.

"Uh… hey, look! A night club! Let's get this trip started right," LaF exclaimed, dragging the both of them towards the flashy building.

"Oh, dear, do you really think that's wise to go all out right off the bat?" Perry questioned.

"A shot or ten sounds great right now," Laura groaned. "Just let me forget about my real life for a sec."

"That's why we're here!" LaF agreed as they made it into the club.

"Just don't get alcohol poisoning. Your dad would never forgive us," Perry huffed just as someone carrying a tray of shots stopped in front of them.

"Complimentary shot? We're being sponsored by Smirnoff tonight," the usher said.

"Oh hell yeah," LaF grinned, downing a shot immediately.

"LaFontaine! We are in a strange establishment in a place we don't know and you just took a shot someone handed to you without batting an eye!" Perry scolded.

"Relax, Perr. It's sponsored," LaF took another shot off the tray and handed it to Laura. "Down the hatch."

"I think I'm owed a little irresponsibility," Laura stated, throwing the shot back and feeling it burn on the way down.

* * *

Oh crap.

Everything hurt.

Laura figured she had to have been in some sort of accident. She must have been hit by a truck. She was about to wake up in a hospital bed and a doctor was going to politely tell her that she had been in a coma for three years. That's the only explanation for how she was feeling and that she had no memory of the past… whenever.

She had been partying with LaF and Perry. That much she knew. Damn, she must have had more than she thought. At least she felt safe in bed. Thank god for Perry. She probably had to cart both Laura and LaF back to their hotel room. Laura should get her a gift basket of some sort.

With a groan, Laura finally opened her eyes and-

It wasn't her hotel room. It wasn't a hospital room, either. Oh god, was she dead? If she was, the afterlife had very fancy upholstery. Modern chic.

"Oh, crap," Laura muttered out loud this time. Not much worse than waking up after a crazy night and having _no idea where you are_.

"Well, good morning to you too," came a raspy voice next to her. Laura froze.

_Oh crap oh crap oh crap_

She had slept with someone?

Laura suddenly became very aware of the bed sheets against her bare skin. Yep, definitely naked.

Bracing herself, Laura slowly turned her head to face the person she had a one-night-stand with and certainly didn't remember.

Except she did.

"No," Laura gasped, her eyes widening as they rested upon the face of the person lying in the bed next to her.

"I remember you being much more chipper in the mornings, Cupcake. I suppose that's what hangovers will do to you," the woman smirked.

Laura's shock was suddenly replaced with white hot anger flooding her chest. In several frantic movements, Laura bunched up the covers around herself and leaped out of the bed.

" _You_. What the _hell_ are **you** doing here?!" Laura growled.

"I have a name, you know. Or did you forget?"

Laura gritted her teeth. It was a name she'd never forget.

"Unfortunately I do remember, _Carmilla_ ," Laura practically spat her name, "now answer my question."

Carmilla rolled her head to the side, seeming to regard Laura closely.

"I'm just as surprised as you are, Sundance," Carmilla stated. Laura's nostrils flared.

"A likely story. Oh, this is just- just _typical!_ What, you happened to see me stumbling around last night and decided to take advantage?" Laura hissed, backing away. Carmilla seemed to break out of her air of nonchalance for a moment, looking stunned, and her eyes fixed to a glare.

"You really think that's what happened here?" Carmilla questioned, her voice steady but firm. Laura said nothing, but tightening the covers around her instead. Carmilla noticed the movement, sighed, and pushed herself out of the bed as well. "Believe what you want. But I don't have any memory of last night, so I guess neither of us can say. I'm going to shower. If you wish to leave and pretend this never happened, feel free. But if you wish to stay and talk this out like adults, make yourself comfortable. There's food in the kitchen."

Carmilla sauntered away into the en suite, closing the door behind her. Laura tried not to dwell on the shape of Carmilla's body before it disappeared from view.

Ugh, she was... just as infuriating as Laura remembered.

Slowly, Laura started roaming around the room and picking up her clothes. Which were… everywhere. Her underwear was draped over the headboard, embarrassingly.

God, how could this have happened? It made no sense. She couldn't have wanted this, right? Not even in the deepest, drunken recesses of her mind. Carmilla was the worst person to possibly ever walk the planet, from what Laura could remember. She couldn't even recall why she had ever dated her in the first place. She was rude, uncaring, apathetic, _messy_ -

Carmilla was a huge mistake in her life. As was the one night stand she apparently just had. She had to get out of there.

Laura quickly put on the last of her clothes and scrambled around for her purse, which she found by the door. As well as a discarded shirt and bra that must have been Carmilla's. Laura groaned to herself, trying not to imagine how the events of the night before transpired.

"Oh, dammit," Laura sighed, looking at her dying phone. So many missed calls. LaF and Perry must have been beside themselves.

Just as she was heading out the door, never to return and probably shower herself in bleach, her phone buzzed with another phone call.

"Hello?" Laura asked into the receiver.

"Laura? Laura! Perr, she answered! Laura, are you alright? Are you kidnapped? Do we need to send in the cavalry? Say 'can you pick up milk' if you're in trouble. Damn, I knew I should've microchipped you-" LaFontaine rambled on the other end.

"LaF, relax. I'm fine. Sort of. No, I'm fine. Just… recovering from some bad decisions," Laura groaned.

"Oh thank god. We lost track of you last night and man, your dad would've killed us. We would've been dead, Laura," LaF huffed. There was a bit of a sound of a scuffle on the other line.

"Give me that, let me talk to her. Hello? Laura, sweetie, where are you? What happened last night?" Perry's voice came through. As much as Laura appreciated the concern, the panicked worrying of her friends was just making her head pound more.

"It's a long story. You're not going to believe where I ended up. But I couldn't tell you what happened last night. This is worse than The Hangover," Laura mumbled. As she reached for the door handle, she felt the tap of metal against metal.

Huh.

"Well, as long as you're safe. Do you need us to pick you up?" Perry asked, but Laura barely heard her.

Laura had lifted up her hand and was starring in a mix of horror and bewilderment at the wedding band on her left hand.

"I'm… I'm going to have to call you back," Laura gasped.

"What? Laura, what's wro-"

**Beep**

Laura fell back against the door, staring wide-eyed at the ring.

It couldn't be real. Why the hell would that be there? It had to be a prank. Or a nightmare. Or… or…

" _ **Carmilla**_!"

Laura stormed back into the bedroom in time to hear the water turn off. She poised her fist, ready to give the en suite door an aggressive knock, but it was pulled open before she could. Carmilla stood on the other side, still in the process of securing her towel around her.

"Well, well. Look who stayed," Carmilla commented, but Laura brushed it off and stuck her hand right in Carmilla's face.

"What the hell is _this_?" Laura demanded.

"Why, looks like your hand to me, creampuff. But I'm sure I'm already pretty acquainted with that, especially after last night. If only I could remember," Carmilla teased, and Laura rolled her eyes.

"Shush," Laura chided, raising her right hand to point at her left ring finger, "I mean _this_."

Carmilla seemed to study it for a moment.

"Nice ring," was all Carmilla offered as comment. Laura almost breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Carmilla's left hand and saw nothing on her fingers.

"Thank god. I don't know where this came from, then. Maybe it's nothing to worry about. God, I thought for a moment that we-"

"Oh, we did," Carmilla cut Laura off. Laura's brow furrowed, and panic started to shoot into her heartrate again.

"Wait, but I thought you said you didn't remember," Laura pointed out.

"I don't," Carmilla replied, disappearing on one side of the door only to return with a matching wedding band on her finger. She studied it with a sort of whimsical expression of her face. "But I found this when I went to take my shower. Figured it wouldn't do any good if it washed down the drain so I took it off as a precaution. Seeing your ring confirmed my suspicions."

The full panic set in on Laura then. It was as if she was suddenly very small in a very large world – more than usual – and everything blurred around her like the very environment was joining in her lamentation.

"No. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. **No** ," Laura stammered, backing away from Carmilla. Carmilla's relaxed expression suddenly warped into something resembling concern.

"Laura, relax," Carmilla sighed.

"Relax? _Relax_? We have matching _rings_! After a blackout night in _Vegas_! This is like a subplot in every sitcom _ever_! Oh my god, this is some cruel trick played by the universe," Laura sat back down on the bed, starring ahead of her in terror as the cogs in her brain turned. "Maybe it's not what we think. Maybe you made us mug a lovely old married couple and we stole their rings."

"Really?" Carmilla's eyebrow raised incredulously. "Okay, look, there's only one way to find out for sure."

Carmilla beckoned Laura to follow her back into the living room. Laura, legs shaky, somehow managed to get herself to move after Carmilla, who was looking around the room quizzically.

"Ah," Carmilla said, heading toward kitchen. She stops at the counter, hand resting on a piece of paper on top of the marble surface. "I believe this will answer your question."

Laura swallowed hard, moving toward the paper like she was pushing through Jello. She finally looked over the paper and the fancy writing that adorned it.

"Oh god… joined in lawful wedlock… Laura Hollis… and Carmilla Karnstein… Holy Hufflepuff…" Laura gaped, barely believing the words in front of her. "Is this really…?"

"It's an unofficial one, but yeah. I believe you get the real one later. Regardless, this still confirms it. Your signature is even here," Carmilla pointed out. "Still think last night's events were non-consensual?"

"I can't believe it… why would I…" Laura trailed off, her eyes getting hazy. "I need to puke."

Laura didn't know if it was from the panic she was feeling or the hangover, but she soon found herself fleeing to the en suite again to deposit whatever stomach contents she had.

Carmilla? She was married to _Carmilla_? It is the worst possible thing that could have happened. She just wanted to enjoy some time off. Now she was _married_. To a s _he-devil_.

Maybe it wasn't a big deal. There was always something funny about the constitution of marriage – not that Laura was ever against it, but this just proved it could really be just a scribble on a piece of paper.

Just a piece of paper.

That affected her entire legal life.

Laura stood up and splashed water over her face, rinsing her mouth out before storming back into the living room.

"You okay?" Came Carmilla's voice, surprisingly soft.

"No," Laura grumbled, heading back to her purse and digging into it. She felt a light bump on her arm.

"Here, I got you a water. Might help," Carmilla offered, holding the bottle against Laura's arm. Laura looked from the bottle to Carmilla and back slowly, cautiously and pondering before taking the bottle.

"Thanks," Laura muttered, unscrewing the top and taking a few big gulps to attempt to wash the rotten taste in her mouth.

Well that was… kind of sweet. Out of character, though. Suspicious.

Laura went back to getting her phone, unlocking it only to find the screen black besides a flashing battery symbol.

"Ugh. Can I borrow your phone?" Laura groaned.

"Well, seems only right you get my number now that you're my wife," Carmilla smirked, heading to her own purse.

"Do not call me that, and that's not what this is about," Laura huffed. Carmilla sighed, handing her phone over.

"Then what do you need it for?" Carmilla asked as Laura snatched the phone away, beginning to rigorously type on it.

"Googling how to get a divorce," Laura muttered. Carmilla clicked her tongue.

"My, my. So soon? You don't want to try counselling first?" Carmilla teased.

"Hilarious," Laura growled. "How are you so calm about this? How can you not be freaking out? This is a huge deal!"

Carmilla looked Laura over and shrugged.

"I could do worse," she stated plainly. Laura paused, and tried to fight the blush starting to form.

"Don't… don't do that," Laura stammered, getting back to her googling.

"Do what?" Carmilla questioned.

"The flirting. Just… no," Laura muttered. Carmilla tilted her head to the side, something mournful in her eyes.

"As you wish, Cupcake," Carmilla complied, but Laura shot her a glare.

"Don't do that either. The nicknames. Don't talk to me as if we were still dating. We're not. This marriage isn't even real. It's just a legal roadblock we have to deal with and then we can go back to pretending each other doesn't exist. I only need to tolerate you until then and I'd rather you not act like the natural disaster of us never happened," Laura snapped.

Carmilla was stone-faced, but she nodded slowly and started to move away, heading back to the bedroom.

"Alright, Laura," Carmilla breathed out in a sigh, disappearing through the doorway. Laura shook off the angry pit in her stomach and turned her attention back to the phone.

"Turns out, divorce involves a lot of paperwork. But we can make it as smooth as possible if we both agree we're incompatible and don't argue we own anything of the other's. Which sounds fair to me. So, I hope you don't fight me on this," Laura read out.

"If you want a divorce, you got a divorce," Carmilla's voice floated from the bedroom. She emerged, wearing sweatpants and a tank top instead of a towel, and propped herself up on the couch with a book.

Laura observed her, the anger still rumbling somewhere deep in her gut, as well as the bit of sadness she was trying to ignore.

"Great. Glad that's settled."

* * *

"You're _married_?!" LaF gaped.

"To… Carmilla?" Perry chimed in.

" _The_ Carmilla. The same one from college," LaF interrogated.

"Yes, yes. That one," Laura sighed.

"How in the world could this have happened? Why is she even here?" Perry questioned.

"She told me she moved here after college. I just happened to run into her last night, I guess. And something went horribly, horribly wrong," Laura explained, feeling exhausted. "Honestly, I'm still waiting to wake up from this bad dream."

"Bad dream? This isn't a bad dream. This is like you got sucked into a hellscape run by demons aiming to torture you by way of making you live through the worst parts of your life over and over," LaF proclaimed.

"Now, dear, that seems a little dramatic-" Perry started.

"Dramatic? Do you not remember Laura after that relationship? She was an absolute wreck. A shell of herself. She barely earned her credits that year," LaF argued.

"Thanks for that reminder," Laura muttered.

"Sorry, it's just, from what you told us, she was awful to you and you were lucky to have gotten out while you could," LaF clarified. "Which is why you need to get out of this."

"You know, it's funny, I don't remember Carmilla being that particularly awful when you two were together. A little brash, but…" Perry trailed off.

"Perry, she left dishes out so long they would practically sentient mushrooms," Laura explained. Perry blinked a couple of times, processing.

"Oh, well then, she certainly wasn't good for you at all," Perry nodded. "Have you told your father yet?"

"Oh god, no. I just came straight to our hotel room from her place to _freak out_ to you before I handle that. He's going to kill me," Laura groaned.

"Hey, I've met your dad. He's… protective, but he's pretty chill. Maybe he'll be fine," LaF offered hopefully.

* * *

"You're _married_?! To _Carmilla_?!"

"That seems to be a common reaction," Laura sighed. "Yes."

There was a long silence over the phone with Laura's father. For a moment, Laura worried that he had just dropped from the shock.

"…Sweetie… sweetheart… this is the exact opposite of not getting into any relationship drama," her dad huffed.

"I know, I know. Trust me. But I'm handling it," Laura assured him.

"Oh yeah, because you handled Las Vegas so well," he snapped. "This is Carmilla. We just talked about this. That horrible girl who _destroyed_ you-"

"She did not… destroy me. I'm perfectly fine. And not destroyed. And I'm handling this," Laura declared. There was a long sigh on the other end of the line.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"We're going to get together later and sort through all the paperwork, and set a court appearance, and then hopefully this will be all over and done with sooner rather than later. Luckily, Carmilla seems pretty compliant," Laura explained. There was another bit of silence over the phone.

"Okay, just be careful. I don't know if I trust her. Watch out for any mind games," her dad warned. Laura let out a bit of a laugh to appease him.

"I know I already told you this before and it didn't work out too well, but this time for real: don't worry."

* * *

"I'm never drinking again," Laura groaned, leaning back into Carmilla's couch in front of the laptop. "Which is ironic, because I could really use a drink right now."

"Mhm," Carmilla hummed, her face practically pushed into the laptop screen as she scrolled through the endless downloadable PDFs for divorce in the state of Nevada. Technology.

Laura blew out a frustrated huff. Not that she _wanted_ to talk to Carmilla, but she had basically ignored Laura's entire presence since she had come back in the evening to sort out this marriage thing ASAP. Which, whatever. Laura didn't care.

Although it was a little awkward sitting there in silence.

"I mean, this was supposed to be my vacation. And now I'm spending my second day here with you. Filing for divorce," Laura continued.

"Shame," Carmilla stated plainly. Laura's face scrunched up.

"You could show at least a _little_ enthusiasm, here. It's not every day you get to have a divorce. Yay, divorce," Laura scoffed.

"I'm thrilled. Truly," Carmilla sighed. Laura regarded her closely.

"You know, I'm still confused about why none of this has seemed to bother you very much. Nice to know your level of apathy hasn't changed, but I expected at least some sort of emotion. We dated for two years in college. And then, well…" Laura trailed off, and Carmilla finally tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her. "We spent senior year apart and then we graduated. We haven't seen each other for four years."

They locked eyes for a moment, and then Carmilla turned her attention back to the computer.

"Would you have wanted to see me?" Carmilla asked. Laura was caught off guard by the question.

"I… I don't know. Maybe," Laura answered honestly. Carmilla stayed silent, so Laura continued, "At the very least, maybe to tell you how awful you are."

"Well, I'm here now."

"Great, you're awful."

"Great."

Silence fell over the room once again. It was finally broken by the sound of the printer roaring to life, and Carmilla got up to fetch the papers.

"So you have no feelings about all this… at all. What happened to talking it out like adults?" Laura interrogated. She failed to mention the fact that she had every intention of leaving and never looking back that morning.

"You made your feelings pretty clear after you found out we were married," Carmilla stated, taking the stack of papers. "If you must know mine: sometimes life throws you a curveball. Sometimes it's better just to let yourself get hit and walk to first than to swing and miss and get a strike."

Laura's brow furrowed.

"Well, sorry this was such a burden on you and your baseball metaphors. This is probably all your fault anyway," Laura declared. Carmilla turned back toward the couch.

"How so?" Carmilla questioned.

"I'm just saying, you weren't exactly jumping at the idea of divorce. I agree that… perhaps I may have drunkenly consented to all this, but I'm not convinced that _you_ didn't do all the convincing with your… drunken mind games," Laura accused.

"Mind games?" Carmilla scoffed.

"It just makes the most sense. It's not like I would have ever suggested this," Laura gestured between the two of them. Carmilla stared at Laura for a few beats, and then slowly made her way back to the couch.

"I suppose you're right," Carmilla whispered, sitting down and looking through the papers. Laura blinked.

"Yeah. That's right. Your fault. Glad you agree," Laura crossed her arms, sinking into the couch.

She expected a bit more of an argument. So far, all she had gotten from Carmilla was complete compliance. It had to be a trick. It was those mind games. Had to be.

Carmilla released a grunt that captured Laura's attention. Her eyes were fixed on the bottom of one of the papers, her brow scrunched in annoyance.

"Apparently we need a witness who is a resident of Nevada," Carmilla revealed. Laura groaned, her head hitting the back of the couch.

"Dammit. I don't know anybody who lives here. Maybe we'll have to file this through New York, but I don't know if that'll involve more hoops. Ugh," Laura mumbled.

"You're fine. I can witness you, since I'm not fighting the divorce or anything," Carmilla assured her.

"Well, that's nice of you. Again," Laura shrugged.

Mind games.

"The problem is who I'm going to have witness me," Carmilla continued.

"Just get one of your friends to sign it. Neighbours. Someone," Laura suggested. Carmilla stayed silent and Laura's eyes widened. "You're telling me you've been living here for three years and you haven't made a single friend?"

"I keep to myself," Carmilla muttered. "Anyone I've interacted with never exactly crossed into anything resembling friendship."

"Ah," Laura nodded slowly, clearing her throat. "So you could just ask someone random, right? It's not like they really check these things."

"You really want to risk this being rejected because some random stranger didn't know my last name if they happened to get asked by the state? It's unlikely, but considering how desperate you are to get out of this union…" Carmilla argued.

"Yeah. No. I get it. Taking it seriously," Laura nodded. "So then, who…?"

"My Mother… she owns this building. Make no mistake, I pay the rent, but she owns property here so I believe it counts," Carmilla muttered, her jaw tight. Laura looked her over carefully.

"I'm guessing your relationship with your Mother isn't much better than it was in college," Laura concluded. Carmilla's hands balled into fists on her knees and Laura sighed. She hated that she still cared, at least a little. "You… don't have to…"

"It's fine," Carmilla said. "She'll just have to deal. I'll phone her and fax the form or something equally as ancient in technology. Then you'll be a step closer to being free."

"If you're sure," Laura mumbled. It was hard to keep that fire up when Carmilla kept being so… _nice_. And _understanding_.

Maybe Laura was being the unreasonable one.

"Hey, like you said, probably my fault, right? Least I can do is talk to Her Infernal Majesty," Carmilla shrugged.

A small chuckle escaped from Laura before she could stop it. Something felt so familiar in the sound of Carmilla's biting snark. It's not something Laura ever figured she would have missed.

"Um… thanks for being so good about all this," Laura relented. Anger was exhausting anyway, and she already had such an exhausting day. She'd be mad again tomorrow.

"No problem," Carmilla spread the papers over the coffee table and clicked her pen. "We can sign what we can, then you can go enjoy the rest of your vacation. I'll handle the phone call with my Mother and getting her to witness."

"Good luck with that phone call. It… might be hard to explain," Laura said.

"I imagine you know all about that. I take it you told your father? If memory serves me, he probably wouldn't take this very well," Carmilla pondered.

"Yeah. About that. There's a good chance he might've ordered a hit on you, so, lock your doors," Laura warned. Carmilla looked up at her with a soft smile.

"Well, nice to hear you care."

* * *

"So who do you think you were married by? An Elvis impersonator?" LaF questioned as they all walked down the main strip the next day.

"Oh god, I hope not," Laura groaned.

"Why not? Elvis is cool!" LaF exclaimed, and their eyes widened. "What if it was the _real_ Elvis?"

"For the last time, honey, Elvis is not alive. I can't believe you'd buy into that conspiracy theory when you're all about science-y… things," Perry huffed.

"That's exactly _why_ I buy into it. Nobody can convince me there isn't some cloning going on. I bet the Elvis of the next generation is being grown in a tube right now," LaF theorized. Perry rolled her eyes, but LaF turned to Laura. "Who did marry you then?"

"I still don't remember a damn thing. The unofficial marriage certificate said it was at some place called Viva Las Vegas Weddings? That's all I know. I'd go to complain but I guess it wouldn't help anyway," Laura muttered. "There should be a law where they need to do a toxicology screen before they're allowed to marry you."

"Ha!" LaF suddenly shouted, their phone in their hands. "According to this, they do offer Elvis themed weddings. You totally could have had one!"

"Please, no," Laura whined, her head falling back dramatically.

"They have other themed weddings, too. Look! They have a gladiator themed wedding. That's boss. And- hell yes, a galactic themed wedding. They dress you up in Star Trek outfits! Could you imagine you and Carmilla dressed up like that?" LaF cackled.

"Why do you hate me?" Laura grumbled.

"Relax, I'll see if they have something Doctor Who themed for you. You would have definitely picked that," LaF chuckled.

"LaFontaine, leave her alone," Perry chided.

"Thank you! I'd be looking for something _far_ more traditional. Just a super simple ceremony where we'd get teary eyed and express our love for each other and it'd be this beautiful moment of making this statement to each other of 'yes, it's you, it'll always be you and no one else'. Instead I got drunkenly paired off with… Carmilla," Laura gagged. "…Although a wedding in a TARDIS would be pretty awesome."

"Fine, fine," LaF sighed and put away their phone.

"So how are you holding up with the whole… seeing Carmilla again?" Perry questioned.

"Confusing," Laura replied.

"Are some feelings resurfacing or something?" LaF asked.

"What? Ugh, no! Definitely not. She's just as… awful as ever," Laura huffed. "I mean… okay, she's not _terrible_ but still, no. I barked up that tree once and never again."

Perry and LaF shared a glance that Laura tried to ignore.

"We're just a little worried. You did, after all, fall into a bit of a depression because of her," Perry started.

"A bit? A bit of one? I once walked into her room and found her lying on the floor crying into a bowl of instant noodles," LaF pointed out.

"To be fair, I think that was over a final more than anything," Laura sighed. "Yes, between her behaviours and actions, admittedly I fell apart. Maybe. But I got out then, I'll get out now. She's working on finalizing some divorce things as we speak. I'm not worried and neither should you," Laura proclaimed.

"If you say so," LaF shrugged.

"I just… I'm curious, because you never told us what she did to you back then, either. Her unhygienic habits aside, what exactly did she do?" Perry questioned.

"She… she was just a horrible person. A horrible girlfriend. You wouldn't understand," Laura mumbled, closing herself off. She felt a tightness form in her chest. "Can we drop the topic? I don't want the rest of the trip ruined by Carmilla."

LaF and Perry shared another glance. Again, Laura ignored it.

"Well, okay, so what do you two want to do?" Perry asked.

"I heard there was a machine gun shooting range here," LaF lit up.

"No. No. Absolutely, positively not. No chance. No," Perry affirmed. LaF deflated.

"There's a Titanic exhibit I really wanted to see," Laura suggested.

"Ooh, I like that idea. Much safer," Perry nodded enthusiastically.

"I can settle for that," LaF sighed.

"Great, I'll look up where it is and call an Uber," Laura pulled out her phone, but just as she did, the screen lit up with a phone call. She stared at the screen.

"You okay there?" LaF questioned.

"Yeah fine, it's just… Carmilla," Laura mumbled.

"What was that about the rest of the trip not being ruined by Carmilla?" LaF cocked their eyebrow. Laura rolled her eyes and answered the call.

"This better be good news, like your mom was already able to get us divorced," Laura sighed to the phone.

"Not quite," Carmilla mumbled. "Sorry to cut into your Las Vegas fun, but we have some things to discuss."

"I'm keeping the dog," Laura joked.

"Funny," Carmilla snorted. "But seriously. There's been a… complication."

"Oh no. What?" Laura groaned.

"My Mother refuses to witness," Carmilla stated.

" _What?!_ " Laura exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? Ugh, whatever. Fine, just do the random neighbour thing. Give them a trivia card of information about you."

"I'm afraid it's become a little more complicated than that, Cup… Laura," Carmilla corrected herself. "Mother wishes to see the both of us in person to… talk."

Laura blinked rapidly in surprise.

"Your mother? Wants to talk to me? In person? Lilita Morgan? CEO of Morgan Industries? The big-time media guru? Wants to talk to me?" Laura gasped.

"Don't get too excited. As you know, I'm not too fond of her for reasons I don't have the energy to list and she sounded very unhappy about… the situation of our union," Carmilla explained.

"Right, sorry. Well, this sounds less than ideal. What do you think she wants to discuss?" Laura questioned.

"Beats me. Maybe to yell at us, maybe to ostracize us from society. Who knows?" Carmilla rambled off.

"…Great," Laura muttered.

"Bottom line is she's flying us back to the City. Tonight," Carmilla revealed.

"Tonight?" Laura groaned.

"Yeah, sorry," Carmilla mumbled. "I'm not happy about this either. I was planning on ordering Chinese tonight."

"Funny," Laura mocked. "Okay, I guess you can't say no to Lilita Morgan, CEO of Morgan Industries."

"You… don't need to say her full title every time," Carmilla sighed. "Guess I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. See you," Laura said, hanging up. LaF and Perry looked at her expectantly. LaF was the first to speak up.

"So… what was that about Carmilla not ruining the rest of the trip?"

* * *

Laura had met Carmilla in her first year journalism class. Laura thought she was insufferable then, so it was any wonder that they started dating the next year, but life works in strange ways sometimes.

Just like how Laura happened to share her journalism class with the daughter of one of the biggest media moguls in the world. Of course, Laura didn't know that immediately – Carmilla had been meticulous with keeping herself out of the spotlight. The only time she had ever been on the radar was when she was 15, and her mom had done a huge story on the LGBTQ+ community after Carmilla came out to her. A story that, ironically, helped Laura come to terms with her sexuality.

But after that, she had faded from the press. It wasn't until a long night where they had been unfortunately paired for a research project that Carmilla revealed she had a much larger interest in philosophy, and she only took journalism because her Mother requested it of her.

Laura almost had a full-on panic attack.

But Laura never took advantage of Carmilla's lineage, through their unlikely friendship or their even more unlikely relationship. She had never even met Carmilla's mom.

That was all about to change. And despite the circumstances, and the stories Carmilla had told her about Lilita and the more corrupt side of her company that would eradicate her reputation, Laura was buzzing. It's only natural that an aspiring journalist would be anxious to meet the queen of media.

Laura only hoped Lilita didn't hate her for drunkenly marrying her daughter. Such a thing would be a career killer and Laura was struggling to break from coffee-fetcher enough as it was.

If she wasn't intimidated enough, the sight of Lilita's office sure didn't help. It had the same classy chic that Carmilla's apartment had (Laura guessed Carmilla hadn't done the decorating), except turn the ritzy level up by 100. It was like walking into the epitome of success – this was the visual representation of having the power to rule the world.

And then there was Lilita herself. Laura had only seen her in pictures and video, but somehow her angles were sharper in person. Her eyes darker, especially as they fell on Carmilla when they entered the room.

"Carmilla," Lilita stood up from her desk with her arms outstretched stiffly, "How long has it been? About a year now?"

"Something like that," Carmilla muttered, stepping into her mom's vicinity.

What occurred next, Laura could only describe as something akin to Voldemort hugging Draco Malfoy.

Lilita stepped away and turned her attention to Laura. Laura felt any ability to breathe get caught somewhere in the back of her throat.

"And you must be Lara," Lilita acknowledged.

"Uh, Laura. Yes," Laura nodded, reaching her hand out. Lilita eyed it cautiously for a moment before shaking Laura's hand in a manner that suggested Laura's hand was nothing more than a used napkin.

"Pleasure," Lilita turned away in a stiff, robotic motion and headed back behind her desk. She gestured to the chairs in front of her. "Please, sit down."

Laura looked at Carmilla, who had a blank expression on her face. Carmilla obediently took her seat and Laura followed suit. Lilita finally sat as well and viewed them in silence for a moment.

Laura felt supremely uncomfortable. A scanner might as well have popped out of Lilita's eyeballs and ran over the both of them.

"So, you are the same Laura that Carmilla spoke so fondly of back in her school days. You dated for a time then, yes?" Lilita questioned.

"Um, yes ma'am," Laura confirmed. Lilita looked thoughtful.

"Yes, I remember a few things that I heard about you. An aspiring journalist. Sweet. Head strong. The desire to do good. The time you were in Carmilla's life was the most I ever heard her voice, I believe. She just couldn't stop talking about you," Lilita leaned forward. "And then one day it just… stopped."

Laura looked over at Carmilla. Her jaw seemed tight.

"Well… we broke up," Laura stated.

"Quite," Lilita took her full posture again. "And now here you are again, brought back together in the most peculiar of circumstances," Lilita's eyes went to Laura's hands. "For both being married, the two of you seem to be lacking any sort of trinket of symbolism on your fingers."

"We took them off," Carmilla stated suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. It's not like we're going to be married much longer anyway," Laura agreed. Lilita's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Carmilla told me of your plan to… divorce, and needing me to witness," Lilita started slowly. "I hope you realize the position this puts me in."

Laura's brow furrowed.

"With all due respect, ma'am, to me it just seems as simple as signing a piece of paper and this goes away for all of us," Laura concluded. Lilita viewed her sharply.

"And you wish to be a journalist? Intriguing," Lilita clicked her tongue. "Dear girl, you're not seeing the big picture here. Carmilla is my daughter. However hard she tried to detach herself from my media bubble, something like this will be noticed."

"Okay, so it's a bit of a scandal. I'm sorry about that. But you have so much influence, can't you just sweep it under the rug?" Laura questioned.

"Laura…" Carmilla sighed.

"You must recognize the implication of all this. I arguably helped launch a large movement for LGBT rights and my company has been an astute ally ever since Carmilla came out. Carmilla, however she tries to ignore it, is a vibrant symbol of this support and the positive message we try to send forward – this includes the push for gay marriage. Now that it's legal in this country, how do you think it'll reflect when papers and websites start publishing the news that Carmilla Karnstein, daughter of Lilita Morgan and shining beacon of gay hope, ruined that sanctity through a drunken bender and had a marriage last shorter than the heterosexual marriage of a Kardashian," Lilita argued.

Laura stared at her, stunned.

"So this is about your reputation as an ally?" Laura interrogated. A tight smile formed on Lilita's face.

"You can view it like that, or you can view it as me attempting not to delegitimize the marriages of your community. I'm really just looking out for your people," Lilita stated. A flame of anger ignited in Laura's chest. Off to the side, Carmilla put her face in her hand.

"Gee, thanks," Laura muttered, "but wouldn't delegitimizing our marriage more of come in the form of, I don't know, forcing gay people to be this picture-perfect union in order to be taken seriously? It's called marriage equality. Why don't we get to marry the wrong person the first or second or even eighth time, or get to accidentally marry someone in Las Vegas like heterosexual couples get away with all the time? Why do we have to be held to a higher standard to be considered 'legitimate'? Maybe print that in your paper," Laura fumed.

Carmilla groaned. Lilita clicked her tongue.

"I admire your… passion, but I'm afraid society isn't caught up yet. Unfortunately, this is a stepping stone in the long journey of progress," Lilita stated.

Laura turned to Carmilla.

"Carmilla? You've been annoyingly silent. What do you think?" Laura questioned.

"I think I need a drink," Carmilla rubbed her temple roughly.

"Oh yes, because that's what we need. Another accidental marriage at the hands of alcohol. At least I'd have an excuse to print a progressive piece about polyamory," Lilita huffed.

"This is all about getting the right story for you, isn't it?" Laura glared, all forms of being polite going out the window. "Do you know what you're asking? You're asking me to stay married to someone I don't want to because it would reflect badly on your image and company!"

"And Carmilla. Despite what she thinks, I do try to look out for her," Lilita clarified. "And come now, it would only be temporary. Just a few public appearances at some large media events that you would attend under my steed. Your Las Vegas wedding would be under the guise that the both of you were just so much in love that you couldn't _wait_ to tie the knot. You'd demonstrate that for the cameras, make a big show of it, and then when everyone has moved on, you can quietly get your divorce. Maybe a few years down the line, we can even use it to introduce the idea that gay marriage doesn't have to be perfect to be valid, or whatever you said," Lilita waved her hand dismissively.

"Well that's all very nice but there's no way in hell I'm flaunting something that isn't real for the media's consumption. Talk about invalidating my community," Laura glowered.

"You two were in a relationship before. It should be like riding a bike," Lilita scoffed.

"Riding a bike? You think it's like riding a bike to pretend to be in a relationship that seriously drove me to the brink of my sanity?" Laura snapped. Carmilla visibly flinched beside her. "Forget it."

"I don't know what happened between you two, but I assure you that keeping up the charade for a short while will be in both of your best interests," Lilita warned.

"How? How could not getting out if this seriously messed up situation benefit us more?" Laura rolled her eyes.

"Well first of all, things would go a lot smoother for Carmilla. I'd hate to have to throw her under the bus and portray her as some sort of rebellious playgirl that I don't condone in order to save face," Lilita threatened. "But in regards to you… I did some digging. You're working at a small media outlet, yes? Oh, but you haven't done much more than doing errands for the true journalists. And it's been, what, two years and you haven't made a breakthrough? Such a shame. How frustrating that must be for someone as passionate as you."

"What's your point?" Laura's eyes narrowed.

"Mother, don't," Carmilla pleaded.

"Hush," Lilita held up her hand. "I'm saying you know exactly how cutthroat this industry is. Sometimes you need a little boost in order to get where you want to go. And those media events, with my name backing you up while married to my daughter? That would be quite the juicy boost to your career in this industry, wouldn't it?"

Laura gaped at her.

"What… what is this? Bribery? You really think I'll undermine my beliefs to take that bait?" Laura scoffed.

"Please," Lilita gestured to herself, "you think I got where I am today without taking a few lures along the way? Sure, I made a few lures of my own, and that's what makes me a CEO of one of the most successful enterprises in the world at the end of the day. But the road to success involves taking the chances you can get, and that may involve undermining your beliefs. It's just a reality, and you've been lucky enough to be handing the greatest chance that can be offered," Lilita paused, looking thoughtful. "Otherwise, you might find it… rather difficult to break into the industry. You might even have trouble finding another errand girl job if you're not careful."

" _Mother_ ," Carmilla snapped.

"Seriously!? Blackmail?! We've stooped to blackmail. You're right, this is a cutthroat industry. I can clearly see how you clawed your way to the top," Laura spat, standing up. "If this is the extent of what I'd have to do to make it anywhere in this industry, I don't want it. None of it."

Lilita stood as well.

"Foolish girl. You may claim to take the high road but here you are, married to my daughter. You can't tell me you never thought it would be advantageous to have such prestigious relations. If you truly have the drive of a journalist then how do I know you didn't rope my daughter into this marriage for this very purpose? If so, I applaud you, and I give to you what you desire like a carrot on a stick. Take it! I won't pull away," Lilita implored. White hot anger shot through Laura.

"You can't be serous. You think I orchestrated all this? I was _not_ the reason we got into this mess. Sure, I'm partly to blame, but I assure you I would have never suggested I get married to _her_ no matter what influence I was under," Laura growled, turning to Carmilla. "Don't you have to say something about this?"

Carmilla took a deep breath, "Mother, Laura is possibly more stubborn than you are. Your threats are futile against her. You'll just be at a stalemate."

"So you agree you want the divorce despite my generous negotiations to make this go far smoother?" Lilita's nostrils flared.

"I really don't care," Carmilla huffed.

"You don't _care_?" Laura snapped. "You've been sitting there letting me argue the whole time and all you have to contribute is you don't care."

"I've learned not to argue with my Mother," Carmilla muttered.

"At least my daughter sees reason in all this," Lilita puffed out. Laura looked between the two of them, the gears cranking in her head.

"Wait… _mind games_. Of course. I can't believe I didn't see it before," Laura gasped. "You're trying to turn this around on me when I know it wasn't _my_ suggestion. Oh, you're good. But you won't pull one over on me. Like you said, you're at the top of the game for a reason."

"Whatever are you talking about?" Lilita scoffed.

"You've been pulling the strings like a media tyrant. You saw how this could benefit you and you took the chance. The _lure_ , as you said. And Carmilla-" Laura turned to her, "maybe your relationship with your mother isn't as bad as I thought. Your refusal to fight her on this? Your nonchalance about this whole thing? Maybe you're trying to angle this your way as well – to make me stuck with you as long as possible."

Carmilla stood up, shaking her head. "Laura, why would I ever-"

"I don't know! To torture me? You're pretty good at that! Some things clearly never change," Laura spat. Carmilla flinched again and she fell silent.

"You're being unreasonable. I'm just asking for a few events-" Lilita started.

"Forget it. I'm not playing either of your games," Laura started moving toward the door. "I want someone to sign the witness signature. I don't care who. Either your mom or a neighbour, whoever. Just get it signed. If I'm not divorced by the end of the week, I'll make my own career by exposing every single one of this company's dirty secrets. I don't care if you bring the fires of hell down upon me."

"You're making a mistake," Lilita called after her. Laura turned just before the door close behind her.

"I already made a mistake, and that was marrying Carmilla," Laura declared, storming away as the door slammed.

Laura did her best not to think about the look of hurt on Carmilla's face.

* * *

"Honey, do you want hot cocoa?" Laura's dad yelled up the stairs to Laura in her childhood bedroom, which was also her adulthood bedroom. Hard to move out when you're making minimum wage doing errands for "real" journalists.

"No," Laura's shout was muffled by the pillow her face had been stuffed into the past several hours.

"Are you sure? I can load it up with whipped cream. I know you like whipped cream. And maybe those chocolate sprinkles?" her dad kept pushing.

Laura had to think about it a moment.

"Maybe in a bit," Laura finally decided, dislodging her face from the pillow.

"Alright, you just let me know," he replied, and Laura heard the squeaks of the floorboards as he moved away from the bottom of the stairs. Her face immediately became one with the pillow again.

Laura had told him all about the infuriating meeting. He was proud of her for putting her foot down, but Laura didn't expect him to let her leave the house ever again.

Just as well. Maybe she was just meant for the hermit life.

A buzz from her phone roused her from her retreat back into solitude. With a groan, Laura reached over and snatched her phone off her bedside table.

It was an email.

From Viva Las Vegas Weddings.

Laura was already trying to sulk enough as it was. She didn't need another reminder of the predicament she was in.

Still, the curiosity got the better of her. She blamed her journalistic side. Maybe it would be an email explaining that the ceremony had been performed improperly and they had to inform her that she wasn't really married at all. That would solve a lot of things. Or, more likely, it was a promotional coupon for her next drunken marriage. Either way…

Laura opened it, and it had link to an attachment labelled "wedding photos".

"Oh my god," Laura gaped. Evidence. Actual photo evidence of that night. Laura was scared to see what she would find behind that attachment.

Damn her journalistic curiosity.

Laura slowly looked over the photos one by one. She half expected to see herself flopped over with Carmilla pulling puppet strings to control her every move. Instead, she saw two people who looked… obviously very out of it and drunk, but also very happy. They were doing the cliché gazing into each other's eyes. Draped over each other. Smiling. Laughing. Laura couldn't remember a time she would have looked so happy.

Laura stiffened when she came to a picture that almost seemed to be a selfie of the two of them, Laura's arms around Carmilla's neck and her lips firmly pressed to Carmilla's cheek. Carmilla had a dreamy look on her face. Laura gulped, swiping over to the next picture.

They were standing at the alter, their lips firmly locked in a way that made Laura's stomach do all sorts of confused flops. It's not like she didn't remember kissing Carmilla back when they dated, but it had been put so far out of her mind that it was hard to identify with the Laura in the photo. How could she look so… content? With Carmilla? Kissing _Carmilla_?

Then Laura's vision shifted to the man who ordained their wedding. He was particularly eye catching because of his attire. With embarrassment that filled Laura's entire body, she realized he was dressed as a vampire.

A vampire minister.

It all came flooding back.

* * *

**Night of the Wedding**

"LaF? Perry?" Laura's eyes scanned the crowd of the club looking for her friends. She didn't even know if she was in the same club they started in. It didn't look the same. Or did it?

Where did her friends go? She couldn't be alone in a big party city far from home. Her dad would have an aneurism. His dad senses were probably going wild.

Her eyes did another scan. She tried to pick out at least some red hair of some form, but the flashing lights made everyone's hair red at some points. And then yellow. And green.

Laura felt dizzy.

"Whoa, hey," a guy seemed steady Laura as she stumbled a bit. "You okay there?"

Laura looked up at him. He reminded her of one of the fraternity bros back in university. Great.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just looking for my friends," Laura rambled out.

"Hey, maybe I can help you find them," he offered.

"No, it's fine," Laura shook her head, stepping away. He closed the distance again and a red flag went off in Laura's head. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

"Maybe on the dance floor? You'd probably find them easier if you started dancing there too. Maybe with me?" the guy smiled. Laura scowled slightly.

"Oh, you're sweet, but I am very gay so I don't want you getting your hopes up," Laura turned away, hoping to magically see LaF and Perry somewhere nearby. They weren't, and the guy stepped in front of her again.

"Hey, I don't mind. I'm a huge ally of the LPQRS… whatever. I'm fine with hanging out for the night and seeing what happens," he winked. Laura stared at him, bewildered. She was too drunk for this.

As if it would help, Laura used her hands to form the shape of the rainbow over her head.

"Gay. I am gay," Laura repeated. The guy just laughed.

"Man, you really are playing hard to get," he shook his head. "Look, you can drop the act. I know girls just say that so they can seem more enticing to us dudes. My buddy told me."

"Your buddy sounds like a genius," Laura rolled her eyes.

"Well guess what? It's working. Consider me… enticed," he stepped closer.

Laura was just about to punch him in the throat.

"Hey, the music too loud for you, or what?" a sultry voice came from behind Laura. "She said she's not interested."

The guy scowled, looking over Laura's shoulder.

"And who are you?" he demanded.

Whoever was behind her stepped beside her and Laura felt an arm snake around her shoulder.

Whoever it was smelled really good.

"Her girlfriend," the voice sneered. "So go try and conquer other lands, Na-bro-leon Bro-naparte."

His face filled with disgust.

"So wait, you're _actually_ lesbians?" he gawked, turning to storm away. "This is so uncool."

"Good riddance. You okay?" the girl said to Laura once he was gone. She removed her arm and Laura turned to thank her mysterious heroin.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was about to hit the guy anyway but you saved me from getting kicked out of the club- _Carmilla_ ," Laura gaped. She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to register just who she was talking to.

Carmilla, drink in hand and a soft smirk on her face tilted her head.

"Hey, cutie," Carmilla chuckled. She seemed a little unsteady. She had probably had a fair few of those drinks. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah- I mean- it's been… gosh, how long?" Laura gaped.

"Four years. Give or take," Carmilla sighed. She bit her lip, a solemn look overcoming her. "Anyway, if you're okay, I'll just…"

"No!" Laura grasped onto Carmilla's arm, and they both froze. "Um…" Laura slowly let go of Carmilla's arm. "It's just, been a while. And I'm kind of alone. And I can't punch every guy in the throat that hits on me. So maybe we could catch up?"

Carmilla observed Laura with confusion.

"Sure, whatever you want."

* * *

"And then- oh man, do you remember Kirsch?" Laura laughed. "Do you remember how he snuck in a puppy on campus and we had to hide it?"

"Yeah. And I'm allergic to dogs," Carmilla scoffed.

"Which is exactly why we got caught. Perry saw you breaking out in hives and immediately started searching our dorm for toxic mold," Laura pouted. "Kirsch was so sad."

"Hey, it went to a great home," Carmilla pointed out, lifting her drink.

"Yeah, you're right," Laura sighed, clinking her drink with Carmilla's.

They had moved to a quieter bar that was one of Carmilla's favourites so they could talk. They probably should have slowed down on their drinking. Maybe. Eventually. Not yet.

For some reason, Laura felt like if she stopped drinking, she would lose this feeling. This feeling she hadn't experienced for a long time. Whatever that was.

"We had a lot of fun in that dorm," Laura chuckled. "Gotta hand it to Perry for setting us up both in the same room for second year. Guess it makes up for the puppy thing."

"Hmm, I do remember some good times," Carmilla said wistfully.

"Some good times even came from those hives, if I recall. You needed help applying the allergy cream," Laura smirked.

"Er… yes," Carmilla slowly started to turn red.

"Those hives were _everywhere_ ," Laura grinned. Carmilla cleared her throat.

"They were not. I believe you took some _liberties_ ," Carmilla accused.

"I don't remember that," Laura laughed, taking another large sip of her drink. The world was slowly getting blurrier. Her chest getting warmer. "I can't remember much, of course."

"That's probably the alcohol, creampuff," Carmilla snorted, sipping at her own drink. Laura tiled her head.

"No, not that," Laura muttered. "I mean about us. I don't remember why I… why we…"

"Laura," Carmilla stopped her, "let's not… ruin this."

"What do you mean?" Laura questioned.

"We have so much to talk about," Carmilla said. "I just don't think we should talk like this. And… I don't think you'll want to talk when you're sober."

"What? No. Why?" Laura blinked. Carmilla shook her head, downing the rest of her drink.

"You never wanted to talk," Carmilla stated. "Four years. I never heard from you."

"That's not fair," Laura pouted. "I never heard from you either."

Carmilla rolled the empty glass around in her hand.

"Yeah. I know," Carmilla whispered. She started to get up from her side of the booth. "Well, now that this evening has been officially ruined…"

"Carm, wait," Laura scrambled up, standing in front of Carmilla's bench. "Just wait. Please."

Carmilla stared at her, her eyes slightly unfocused. She nodded, sitting back down. Laura slid onto the bench as well. She probably leaned in far closer than she needed to.

"I should hate you. I feel like I should be angry or… throw you off a cliff," Laura stated plainly.

"Flattering," Carmilla sighed.

"But I see you now and it's the first time I've… I've felt whole for a long time." Laura breathed.

"Laura… we broke up for a reason," Carmilla choked.

"Maybe I don't care right now," Laura murmured. Carmilla searched her eyes.

"Really?" she inquired. Laura nodded slowly.

"Maybe I just really… really want to kiss you right now," Laura croaked. "I don't want to think about the us of the past. I wanna think of the us of right now."

"Cupcake… we're really drunk," Carmilla gulped.

"You said we wouldn't talk when sober, right?" Laura questioned, tilting her head. "Then maybe we should take the time to… not talk now. While we can."

Laura moved in ever closer, smelling the alcohol on Carmilla's breath. She paused, just enough to give Carmilla enough chance to move away if she wanted to.

She didn't.

Their lips connected, and the feeling that washed over Laura was phenomenal. It was the same feeling she had coming home after a long, hard day – multiplied by a thousand. Carmilla's lips were so familiar. Inviting. Enticing. Comforting. It really was like feeling whole again.

Maybe that was wrong. It was so wrong, but she didn't care.

Laura deepened the kiss, her hand going to the back of Carmilla's head. As she had done so many times. It was like muscle memory. They still fit together so well.

Carmilla was still so good at nipping at Laura's lip in that way Laura loved so much.

The moment Laura's hand started creeping into Carmilla's shirt, Carmilla pulled back.

"Laura," Carmilla held up her hand, her breath heavy. "We shouldn't- I mean, I want to, god I want to, but I don't… I don't deserve your forgiveness," it was then that Laura noticed tears in Carmilla's eyes, "I didn't treat you the way you deserved. We broke up because I-"

"Shh," Laura hushed, her fingers lazily falling on Carmilla's lips. "Let's not ruin the evening, right?"

Laura moved in to kiss Carmilla again, and Carmilla's trembling lips only lingered a second before she pulled back again.

"You're being very… convincing… but I'd rather not get blacklisted from my favourite bar for having sex with you in the booth," Carmilla reasoned, though the way her hands were travelling up Laura's torso suggested her will-power was wearing thin.

Laura bit her own lip, smirking. "You have a place, right? Somewhere with a bed? Couch?" Laura moved to nip at Carmilla's ear, making her shudder. "Kitchen counter?"

"Oh, god, yes" Carmilla groaned. Then, she stiffened. "No, no. Dammit. No."

She slid away from Laura, staring straight ahead with intensity. Carmilla's hands were clenched in her lap. Laura took a deep breath, regarding her carefully.

"It's okay. I won't force you," Laura muttered. Carmilla's eyes shut tight.

"I want you so badly," Carmilla admitted with a shaky voice. Her eyes opened and she turned to look at Laura again. "But then I don't think I'll ever see you or hear from you again. I don't know if I can do that."

Laura blinked at her. Her hand rested on Carmilla's shoulder.

"Why not?" Laura questioned.

"You said you should hate me," Carmilla croaked. "And you probably should. And you're probably going to. As soon as you wake up. As soon as your sober. Then it'll all come back – why you hate me so much. And then you'll be gone."

Laura gawked at her. And she knew Carmilla was right. She was far too drunk. She was so ready to forget everything to spend another night with Carmilla again. To feel something again. Laura figured that her sober self would be far more logical.

And then what? She'd… lose Carmilla?

Panic struck through Laura's heart.

She couldn't lose this feeling. She couldn't lose Carmilla. She had just gotten her back. She wanted to see Carmilla's face every day. For the rest of her life.

"Marry me," Laura blurted out. Carmilla looked startled.

"Excuse me?" Carmilla questioned.

"Marry me. Then we… we have to be stuck with each other," Laura reasoned.

"That's romantic," Carmilla's brow furrowed.

"Please. I don't like the idea of losing you. I wanna figure this out. I want us to work this out," Laura pleaded. "I don't think I'll ever feel whole again if I don't."

Laura really had no idea what she was saying, but she was on a drunken rant at that point.

"Cupcake… you're talking _marriage-_ "

"And where better than Vegas?" Laura questioned. "Do you want to? Be my wife, Carm. We'll figure out whatever comes next together."

Somewhere, Laura's dad's dad senses were off the charts.

"This is… such a stupid idea," Carmilla breathed out.

"It totally is," Laura agreed, leaning in to kiss Carmilla softly. "But I don't care."

She kissed Carmilla again and felt her melt. Carmilla's breath quivered as she pulled away.

"Fuck it. Okay," Carmilla complied. Laura's hands moved up to cup Carmilla's face.

"Yeah?" she questioned.

"Yeah, let's get married. Make our sober selves figure it out," Carmilla nodded.

"We're gonna be so pissed at ourselves," Laura laughed, yanking Carmilla in for a vehement kiss.

"You're killing me, Hollis," Carmilla moaned against Laura's lips.

* * *

Laura was hastily pushing Carmilla's shirt off as soon as they got into Carmilla's apartment. Laura tossed the shirt to the ground and slammed Carmilla back into the door, shutting it with the force as they both dropped their purses.

Fuck, it had been so long.

She felt the curves of Carmilla's torso, felt the way the new ring on her finger slid over Carmilla's skin. It felt heavy. A good kind of heavy.

"Aren't you, supposed to, carry me over the, threshold, Cupcake?" Carmilla panted between kisses. Laura moaned, unclipping Carmilla's bra and letting it fall to the ground. She moved to pressing kisses to Carmilla's collarbone.

"We're also supposed to be wearing complicated and intricate wedding dresses that would take forever to get out of," Laura growled into Carmilla's neck. "I feel like all the traditional wedding things are designed to keep you from sex as long as possible."

"We don't want that," Carmilla gasped as Laura swooped down to suck one of Carmilla's nipples into her mouth.

"Mmm," Laura hummed softly, her fingers digging into Carmilla's sides.

It was all so familiar. Like she had never left. How could she have ever left?

"Fuck, okay," Carmilla grunted, her hips bucking Laura back. She slowly started forcing Laura backwards, her eyes dark and hungry. "Bedroom."

Carmilla dropped the marriage certificate on the kitchen counter as they went by, and soon found themselves in Carmilla's _very_ soft bed.

Carmilla straddled Laura, pushing her into the bed while she started stripping Laura's clothes off and carelessly tossing them around the room. Laura also did her best to push off Carmilla's leather pants and any other fabric she found underneath.

Laura felt Carmilla's full flesh weight on top of her, and again it felt so familiar, as did the way Carmilla's teeth dug into her neck. She let out a moan.

"Is this why you chose a vampire themed wedding?" Carmilla questioned, her voice low and her breath hot. "You were thinking about how I used to do this?"

"I… just thought it'd be fun but now that you mention it, yeah. Yeah, I did miss this," Laura groaned, shifting her leg to fit between Carmilla's, feeling the damp heat gyrate against her thigh. Carmilla gasped, lifting her head.

Laura watched Carmilla's expression. Her eyes were shut tight, her bottom lip firmly caught between her teeth as she took in the feeling of Laura's thigh pressed against her. With a shudder, she pressed against Laura's thigh, sliding herself down slowly, leaving a cool sensation behind as the air hit the evidence of Carmilla's arousal. She stopped at the base of Laura's thigh and started rolling her hips, making her hip bone brush up against Laura's own arousal. Laura moaned, lifting her head to bury her face in Carmilla's neck.

"I missed you," Carmilla husked, her hips moving to push Laura up to a sitting position against the headboard. "I missed you so much."

"Carmilla," Laura moaned again, letting Carmilla switch her movements to focus on giving more attention to Laura, pressing against her. "God, you're my wife. You're my _wife_."

Carmilla slid her hand up the wall behind Laura, steadying herself while she moved her other hand, complete with ring, between herself and Laura to carefully run over Laura's more delicate and sensitive nook before easing her fingers inside.

Her eyes were dark as they looked over Laura, but they were warm, albeit with a hint of pain and regret. But that look was also familiar. It was always how Carmilla would look at Laura when they were dating.

"And you're mine, Cupcake."

* * *

**Present Day**

Laura held the receiver of her phone anxiously against her ear.

"Come on, pick up," Laura muttered. Finally, after four rings, the phone clicked.

"Hello? Laura?"

"LaF!" Laura gasped. "LaF, I have something very important to tell you. And when I tell you, I need you to be supportive and not judge me. This is really mortifying but I figured I should let you know."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you need," LaF agreed.

"Okay," Laura nodded. She took a deep breath. "I… had a vampire themed wedding."

Laura had to pull the phone away from her ear to help lessen the volume of the laughter that erupted from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, sure, thanks for the support," Laura yelled, ending the call.

She let out a long sigh. Okay, now time for the actual nerve wracking phone call.

Her hands were shaky as they punched in the number, and her whole arm quaked as she held the phone up to her ear.

It only took two rings.

"Hey. Did you need something else? Do you actually want to keep the dog? I feel the need to tell you we really don't have a dog to argue custody over," Carmilla's bored voice came over the other end.

"Carmilla! Hey! How are you? What are you up to?" Laura's voice and smile were stiff. There was a pause over the phone.

"…Oh, you know, I've been better. At the airport. Going to get a neighbour to sign it, since I'll never convince Mother. Look, Laura, if that's why you're calling… Whatever you might think about me and my intentions, I'm going to take care of this for you. I promise," Carmilla assured her.

The guilt hit Laura like lightning.

"No, that's not… ugh," Laura huffed out. "I actually called to… apologize."

"Apologize?" Carmilla questioned.

"Yeah. I mean, your mom is still kind of… the worst, but I was too harsh on you and I'm sorry," Laura started.

"Oh. Okay. Sure, it's whatever," Carmilla said.

"No, it's really not whatever," Laura took in another deep breath. "I also need to apologize for blaming you for the wedding. I realize I was… wrong."

Another bit of silence over the phone.

"Oh really? Why's that?" Carmilla inquired.

"I may have remembered some things. And I may have remembered that it might have been more of my idea than I… previously imagined?" Laura admitted hesitantly. She heard Carmilla chuckle.

"Yeah, I know," Carmilla confirmed. This time, Laura was the one to leave a bit of silence over the phone.

"Wh-what? But I thought you said you didn't remember," Laura gaped.

"I didn't. Initially. It came back in bits and pieces," Carmilla explained.

"And you let me accuse you! In front of your mom and everything! Why didn't you tell me?" Laura scowled.

"You seemed pretty convinced. You sure you would've believed me, or would you have just attributed it to mind games?" Carmilla asked.

Laura winced, thinking back to her behaviour back in Lilita's office.

"No, I suppose you're right. I wouldn't have believed you," Laura admitted. "So, I'm sorry. All this was my fault."

"Don't worry about it. We were both drunk. We made some poor decisions based on alcohol and some… confused feelings. I could've said no. So, you can still blame me if you wish," Carmilla offered.

"Thanks. It does feel better to blame you," Laura sighed, eliciting a chuckle from Carmilla.

"So, is that all?" Carmilla questioned.

"No," Laura bit her lip, feeling dread. "I want you to do something else for me."

"Name it," Carmilla said.

"I need you to leave the airport and stay in New York City. Because I'm telling your mom I'm accepting her offer, if you are," Laura revealed.

It had been the longest silence over the phone yet.

"…What?" Carmilla gaped.

"Well I figured, since this _is_ technically my fault… I should make it right for everyone, right? I mean, I still think your mom's rational was all… screwy, and I don't agree with any of it. But if I can make this smoother for the _both_ of us? I think I owe you that much," Laura sighed. "Plus I really do need a career boost."

"I can tell every connection we meet at the parties that you're an awful journalist if that will help you keep your ethical code intact," Carmilla teased.

"Gee, thanks," Laura rolled her eyes. "So you're in?"

"Sure. Just have to set some boundaries between us, I think," Carmilla reasoned.

"Oh yes. Boundaries. Boundaries are great. We can talk about it in person, since you're leaving the airport. Right?" Laura inquired.

"Going to call an Uber and my Mother as soon as I hang up," Carmilla confirmed.

"Awesome," Laura sighed, "This'll be an adventure."

"I swear you'll get rid of me eventually," Carmilla promised. "See you soon."

"Yeah. And thank you. Again. And Sorry. Again," Laura rambled.

"Thank you for throwing your integrity out of the window for me," Carmilla chuckled.

"Shut up," Laura huffed, hanging up.

She fell back on her bed, groaning. She hated that she had to spend some more time with Carmilla. She hated that she was confused by drunken Laura's actions and feelings. She hated that she suddenly didn't like the idea of getting rid of Carmilla anymore.

She hated drunken Laura most of all.

Laura slowly pushed herself up, wandering over to her suitcase that she had yet to unpack. She dug through it, finding a small plastic pouch and pouring out the small gold ring into her palm. She observed the way it shone in the light.

"What have I gotten myself into?"


	2. Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed the first part! This chapter was going to be much longer but I decided to split it up a bit more so that you could have more tropes faster. So, if you were wanting more - behold, more!

Laura's dad sat across the living room, his chin resting against his clasped hands while he observed Laura and Carmilla sitting on the couch. Silently contemplating.

He'd been doing that for about five or six minutes. No one had said a word. Laura was probably the most uncomfortable she had ever been, and she had experienced poison ivy in some unfortunate places before, so that was saying something.

Carmilla sat completely still, whereas Laura couldn't stop fidgeting. She wished she could read what was going on in Carmilla's head. That would actually solve a lot of things.

Laura thought she was going to snap in the silence and was finally going to say something stupid about the weather, but finally her dad spoke.

"So, Carmilla," he started, "you're my daughter-in-law, I suppose."

Laura wondered if she could sink into the couch cushions and never re-emerge.

Carmilla cleared her throat.

"Yes, sir. Temporarily," Carmilla assured. "I don't wish to be a bother on either of you for too long."

Laura's dad cocked an eyebrow, and he paused while taking in her words. Laura knew exactly what he was thinking.

_Mind games_.

"Dad, I know how this looks. But I swear, this is my decision. All mine. I'm just going to play by her mother's rules long enough so we can sweep this under the rug forever," Laura said with a curt nod. He shook his head.

"I just don't understand. You came home like a wrecking ball on fire so heated up about your meeting with that CEO woman. And now you're giving into it, just like that?" he questioned.

Laura took a deep breath. There was no way she was admitting she was the one who instigated the marriage. That would probably send him to an early grave.

"I thought a lot about what she said. A lot. And while her motivations are a little twisted, she does know media. The story about our little drunken… adventure will be picked up sooner or later and then it might never go away. This way it'll just but a short thing and _then_ we can move on. I just want to move on," Laura sighed. Her dad blew out his own sigh, moving his forehead to rest against his clasped hands.

"I don't like this idea. I don't think I can ever condone Carmilla after last time," he muttered, then quickly looked up at Carmilla. "No offense."

"No, none taken," Carmilla waved him off with a shrug. He sighed again and looked back at Laura.

"I know I can't fix this for you. So, I must put this in your hands. I trust you, just not the other two involved in this. Again, no offense," he said.

"I swear I'll figure it out. And there will be no alcohol involved this time. Hopefully," Laura concluded.

"Fine. I'll leave you two to… discuss terms," he turned to Carmilla again. "You. No funny business. If I even catch a whiff of Laura descending into oblivion again, I will pull out every protective dad move in existence to make sure you regret it. Again, no offense."

"Yes, sir," Carmilla bowed her head, not meeting his eyes.

"Right. I'll be downstairs in my office if you need me," he stated.

"Thanks, dad," Laura gave him a meek smile. He looked between the two of them cautiously before turning and heading down the stairs. Laura felt some of the tension leave her body. "God, after I told him you were coming over to talk because I agreed to your mom's offer… I just didn't think he'd give in so easily."

"You're an adult. He knows that," Carmilla muttered, still not lifting her head.

"I know. This is just the same guy who has bear spray for every day of the week," Laura shook her head. "Uh, sorry about him being all… judge-y, I guess."

Carmilla was silent for a moment, and Laura worried that she'd have to sit through another awkward silence. Luckily, Carmilla spoke up.

"Is what he said true?" she asked quietly. Laura blinked, confused.

"That he doesn't trust you? Oh yeah. My dad doesn't trust most people, actually," Laura pondered.

"Not that," Carmilla said. "I mean the last thing he said. Descending into oblivion again? What does that mean?"

Laura froze.

"Oh, you know. My dad. He likes to inflate. Descending into oblivion is a little harsh. That makes it sound like I sank into a hell dimension and obviously that didn't happen, because those don't exist. No matter what LaF says," Laura rambled.

"Laura," Carmilla sighed. "I get you being angry at me, but I keep getting the hint that you were more than just angry at one point. In my Mother's office, you said I drove you to the brink of your sanity, or something like that. And now what your dad just said? It sounds like…"

"Like what, Carmilla?" Laura scowled. "It's nothing. Just two Hollis' exaggerating."

Carmilla nodded slowly, looking up at Laura. "You don't have to tell me what you went through," she paused for a moment, then spoke in a soft voice, "but I would like to know."

Laura's whole body tensed.

"Fine, it you must know, there was a period of time where I struggled a bit with what you did," Laura admitted. "There, now you know."

Carmilla stayed silent. Her hair hid most of her face. It was hard to get a good read.

"Does this come as a shock or something?" Laura inquired. Carmilla cleared her throat.

"Maybe I just never imagined my actions would have such an impact. Or me in general," Carmilla mumbled.

"Of course you did," Laura gaped, and their eyes met for a long moment. Laura's chest tightened. "The fact that you never even recognized what you did to me just shows how monstrously out of line you are."

"Laura, I-"

"Don't," Laura stopped her. "Let's just set our guidelines so we can get all this over with and then go back to our separate lives."

Carmilla's mouth opened, but she seemed to think against it and swallowed hard, nodding.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need."

"Great," Laura muttered. "We don't have to see each other outside of the designated events your mom chooses for us. We just have to appear together, be all smiley and happy, probably tell people how we met – we can just use the story of how we actually met, since we did date. We'll just leave out the break up. Otherwise, that's it. We don't have to be overly lovey or touchy or anything. Definitely no kissing. In an emergency we can hold hands but only for the duration of the emergency."

"Sure," Carmilla breathed out.

"And, for the love of god, I don't want to drudge up the past. I think that'll be better for the both of us," Laura concluded. Carmilla looked at her, like she was trying to solve a puzzle. She seemed so small in that moment. Laura wasn't used to that. She was used to Carmilla taking up a lot of space.

"If you feel that's best," Carmilla conceded.

Laura tried her best not to think about what Carmilla had said that drunken night.

_I don't think you'll want to talk when you're sober_

Whatever. She didn't have to go back there if she didn't want to.

"Anything you wish to add?" Laura inquired. Carmilla's brow furrowed while she thought about it.

"I suppose you covered it. I'll just follow your lead," Carmilla stated.

"Glad we're on the same page, then," Laura nodded.

The awkward silence returned.

They were about to have a really tense marriage.

* * *

The "news" broke the next morning. Laura first took note that it was Morgan Industries' press team that lead the story. Probably so that Lilita could spin it exactly the way she wanted to and any other media would base their information off hers. After all, Morgan Industries was always a credible source, was it not?

Soon news of Laura and Carmilla's marriage was all over social media, if you knew where to look. It was still confined to more LGBTQ+ intensive outlets, but it was there. There were even some pictures from the alter that Laura had received through email floating around. At least they were the nicer, more flattering ones that Lilita had picked out. Laura hoped Lilita had gone to the chapel directly and didn't just hack her email for the pictures, but it was hard to tell just the kind of power Lilita really held.

Massive media mogul's daughter, noted for being at the forefront of Morgan Industries' LGBT advocacy after coming out, has finally gotten hitched to some girl she apparently went to school with named Laura. Overcome with the desire to be together forever, they just couldn't _wait_ to plan a wedding and instead decided to get married as soon as possible. Thanks to their deep and unwavering true love.

Laura was paraphrasing what she was reading, but that's basically what everything said. It made Laura red reading everything about her faux love life – her marriage. It wasn't what Laura had wanted to feel when she read about people talking about her one day being in wedlock. She had wanted a bashful but grateful embarrassment, not an angry pit that made her want to crawl under a rock forever. She certainly didn't picture the internet to be the one giving her this much attention.

Her poor dad had been getting phone calls all day.

To Lilita's credit, she was correct about one thing. Carmilla's visibility really did make them some sort of weird symbol for gay marriage. That fact annoyed Laura endlessly. Why focus on them when Ellen and Portia existed?

But she chose this path, and she found herself walking up to Lilita's office after she had summoned Laura and Carmilla. They had their first public appearance to prepare for.

"There's my daughter-in-law," Lilita formed a tight grin when Laura entered her office.

Laura really wished their parents would stop using that label for them.

"Hello, Ms. Morgan," Laura puffed up. "I'm here to be your puppet."

Lilita's smile cracked a little like ice under intense pressure, and she stepped out from behind her desk.

"Hmm, yes. Well, it is a pleasure to know you had a change of heart. Perhaps you'll make it as a journalist after all," Lilita sniffed, her nose upturned as if making sure she was always on a higher level. Laura glared at her.

"Perhaps I'll make it as a journalist because I'm following my heart on something, not because I'm getting into people's good graces," Laura huffed. Lilita tilted her head and looked at Laura with something resembling pity, which made Laura's blood boil.

"Quite. And remind me again what exactly spurred this change of heart? Did it really have nothing to do with my influence? Perhaps you found the chance of putting your name out there too enticing to ignore," Lilita clicked her tongue.

"I don't need your help. Not with anything," Laura glowered.

"Then perhaps it was the promise that I would ruin you. Don't feel ashamed. It's important to learn to take my threats seriously," Lilita smirked.

"Oh please. I'm sure your mind is very cluttered being a CEO and all but I don't think you'd forget that _I'm_ doing _you_ the favour here. You may think you have the reins but believe me, I call the shots. I can pull out of this arrangement any time and leave you floundering so don't underestimate me," Laura threatened, a little bit of smugness behind her words. "Who's journalist material now? Maybe even CEO material."

Lilita's eyes widened for only just a moment.

"Well, you have some nerve-"

"If you two are going to murder each other, let me know so I can just leave. It'll get me out of wearing a dress," Carmilla chimed in from a large leather chair in the corner. Laura hadn't even noticed her.

Lilita smoothed down the front of her own dress, turning to Carmilla.

"Well, darling, if you would prefer a pantsuit, I could have one tailored and delivered here at the snap of my fingers. After all, part of a woman's power comes not from what she wears, but how she wears it," Lilita declared.

"How progressive of you," Laura muttered. Lilita turned to her.

"My business is labeled one of the most progressive enterprises in the world, after all. Both socially and economically," Lilita said with a smug look.

"In that case, just get me a garbage bag. I do like to wear black, after all," Carmilla smirked.

"I'll take a cardboard box, while you're at it. Maybe some straps for suspenders," Laura added. Lilita looked between them and rolled her eyes to the extent that her head slightly rolled with them.

"If ganging up on me is what makes you tolerate each other for long enough, then so be it," Lilita huffed. "Regardless, I wish to brief the both of you on the proceedings this evening. If you're living under a rock, then you might not have noticed the New York Media Festival is going on this week. Morgan Industries is participating in part of their Tech-Crawl – a silly concept but important for visibility with not only other industry members but also consumers."

"And you want us to be present in your little display as part of your trophies to show off the extent of your influence," Carmilla yawned. The corner of Lilita's mouth twitched.

"Well, it seems appropriate that the subjects of our current breaking news story should be up front and centre at our open house, don't you think?" Lilita inquired.

"So we're just a product for you to advertise," Laura concluded, glaring.

"That is what you signed up for, dear," Lilita quipped. "Other press outlets will be here of course, so all you two have to do is make yourselves present and available. Give each other soap-opera-level longing glances. Make it sweet enough to rot the teeth of every media manager and cheesy enough to clog the arteries of every reporter."

"Oh, now this feels romantic," Laura rolled her eyes.

"I assume you two can pull from your history somehow to put on a good show," Lilita smirked. "All that's left is looking presentable. I've organized for some of the best stylists in the city to make you look absolutely glowing in love. Make sure they don't catch on to the ruse – that's important to know when interacting with anyone. Only trust those closest to you, and sometimes not even those closest to you."

"The least amount of people who know about the mess we're in, the better," Laura groaned.

"Excellent. Now, I must be prepared to greet the… crawlers. I'll send for the pantsuit. Lara-"

"Laura," both Carmilla and Laura interjected.

"-I'll assume the outfit you brought is at least half-way decent," Lilita sneered at Laura. Laura puffed up.

"Mother, it's fine. Laura can pull off anything," Carmilla muttered, her nose suddenly in a magazine.

Laura was caught off guard at the statement. She felt a bit of heat in her cheeks.

"Hm. We'll see," Lilita looked Laura up and down. Laura could've sworn Lilita had x-ray eyes. It made her uncomfortable, but she wasn't about to quiver in her presence.

"Is that all?" Laura grumbled.

"For now," Lilita clicked her tongue. "I expect the best behaviour possible. I'll see you later down at the event." Lilita turned toward the door and stopped right beside Laura, lowering her voice. "Oh, and before I go. Just to be quite clear, you may threaten to leave this operation, but I know your type. You said you followed your heart, so I know you won't bow out now. Your convictions are too strong. So, no, you don't hold the reins. Nice try, though."

She sauntered out of the room, the sound of her clicking heels on the marble floor following her. Laura clenched her fists at her sides, the dress she brought firmly tucked under her arm.

"Is she always so… pleasant?" Laura huffed.

"She's actually in a good mood today, if you can believe it," Carmilla stated, nose still in the magazine.

"Shocking," Laura sighed. "At least she seemed to be nice to you."

Carmilla gave a shrug. "She likes when I'm compliant."

"Clearly, considering she was ready to ruin your life yesterday," Laura recalled darkly.

"That's just how she is. She only expresses fondness when she can get something out of it. I'm convinced she wouldn't have taken my coming out as well as she did if she hadn't figured out a way to exploit it," Carmilla mumbled.

"Yeah. I um, I remember you telling me about that once," Laura nodded. Carmilla looked up at her and Laura flinched.

Damn, she was already breaking her own rule not to drudge up the past. Carmilla tilted her head, and there was something tender in her eyes that made Laura wish Lilita's x-ray eyes were back instead.

"You sure you're up for this? You really can back out, if you want to," Carmilla offered. Laura shook her head.

"No, I've committed. What about you?" Laura questioned. Carmilla turned back to the magazine.

"I'm sure I'll conjure up enough energy somehow," she drawled. Laura snorted.

"It's just a few hours anyway. What could go wrong?"

* * *

Laura didn't usually wear a lot of make-up. Maybe some foundation and mascara, concealer if she was feeling wild, but that was about it. So there was something odd about sitting in a chair in Lilita Morgan's office with her eyes closed while a bunch of strangers stuck brushes all over her face and teased at her hair.

It wouldn't be so bad if they stopped making comments about how flat her hair was and how large her pores were.

"You look like you're having fun," Carmilla's voice came from somewhere in front of Laura.

"So much. Now I know how a canvas feels. Did you get your _custom made_ suit?" Laura sighed.

"Not custom made, which Mother will be furious about, but I'm not sure what she expected when she only gave the tailor an hour notice," Carmilla muttered. "Fits well enough."

Laura's curiosity got the better of her and she brushed the hands away from her face so she could open her eyes.

Carmilla was standing there in a dark, very slim fitted suit, the jacket embroidered with the subtle design of vines and leaves hugging at her waist. A tie hung loosely around her neck, not even fully knotted.

She looked gorgeous. Not that Laura cared.

The fact she had lost the ability to speak was completely unrelated.

"I think it works. What do you think?" Carmilla questioned.

"Oh, um," Laura stammered. Get it together, Hollis. "It's great. Sure. Fine. You look fine."

"Hmm," Carmilla mused, looking down at herself. "I'm not sure. If I like the jacket on," Carmilla popped a button, sliding the jacket off and tossing it over her shoulder casually, "or jacket off."

Jesus Christ.

"Uhh," Laura's brain stalled, looking at the white shirt cling to Carmilla's skin, framed by the suspenders across her chest, sleeves rolled halfway up her arms.

Carmilla smirked.

"Yeah. Jacket off. It was a bit too flashy for my tastes, anyway," Carmilla decided, tossing the jacket onto a nearby chair.

Laura's brain kicked into gear as she realized her mouth was hanging open. What was she doing gawking over Carmilla? Sure, she was an absolute knock-out and… her figure brought back a lot of memories…

No. Stop.

Laura cleared her throat. "Yeah, I guess that'll do," Laura mumbled.

"Shall we do your make up too, Ms Karnstein? Oh, or is it Hollis?" one of the make-up ladies asked.

"Just Carmilla. And I'm good, thanks," Carmilla waved them off.

"Oh, but that's a lot of eye-liner and just a bit of contouring would really bring out your cheek bones-"

"I'm fine," Carmilla glared. "Laura looks fine, too. Laura, what do you think?"

"Oh god, yes. Please get me out of this hell," Laura groaned as another brush dabbed against her face.

"But we have so much more work to do…" one of the ladies trailed off. Laura glowered at her.

"She looks radiant. I'll make sure Mother gives you a large tip," Carmilla sighed, reaching out her hand for Laura to take. Laura looked at the outstretched hand and over Carmilla's attire one more time.

Why did she have to look like that? It should be illegal.

Laura took Carmilla's hand and her dress flurried around her knees. Carmilla paused and looked over Laura as well, their eyes meeting at the top. Carmilla's cheeks were pink.

"Well, um," Carmilla started, stepping back and releasing Laura's hand. "Mother will be pleased."

"Oh. Yeah. You- your mom will be pleased too. About you. You look good," Laura's own cheeks burned with a blush.

"Ah, young love," one of the make-up ladies swooned. Laura whipped her head towards the woman, ready to correct her, but she stopped herself. They had to keep up the ruse.

Something about that woman calling it as such bothered Laura, however. She wasn't even trying to act in that moment. Why would she say young love? She wasn't in love. Just because Carmilla wore a suit _really_ well-

"Excuse me," a head of a young blonde woman popped in the doorway. Laura recognized her and Lilita's receptionist. "Ms Morgan requests that the newlyweds make their entrance now."

Laura looked at Carmilla, a sudden nervousness filling her. Now she would have to be acting to all those important people. With Carmilla. Who was still looking _really_ good.

Carmilla seemed to notice Laura tense and gave her a soft look. She walked over to Laura, offering her arm and lowering her voice. "Don't worry. It's just as easy as standing next to each other. I'll be with you every step of the way."

That's partially what Laura was worried about.

She stiffly took Carmilla's arm, and Carmilla started to lead them out of the room. It had really been the closest Laura had been to Carmilla since the wedding night. Hell, it had been the first time they touched each other since the wedding night. Carmilla's arm still had the softness that Laura remembered.

Laura wondered what the frilly hell was wrong with her. Why was her stomach in knots? What was she suddenly all sweaty? It had to be nerves. Sure, Carmilla was an attractive woman, but she was still _Carmilla_. Laura couldn't even fathom having residual feelings.

Then again, it had been a while since Laura had been with _anyone_. Maybe Carmilla was offering some form of human contact that Laura didn't know she had been craving. Maybe that's all it was. And that could be dangerous.

There was no way Laura would let herself fall again.

"Laura. Loosen up," Carmilla muttered to her as they rode down the elevator.

"Wh- what?" Laura stammered, being broken out of her brain tangent.

"It's like being attached to a statue," Carmilla said.

" _You're_ a statue," Laura snapped back. Carmilla blinked at her.

"Laura, are you-"

"I'm fine," Laura mumbled. "Let's just do this."

Carmilla stared at her for a moment and nodded slowly as the elevator dinged, letting them off at the top of the stairs in the lobby.

Laura and Carmilla walked out to see a sprawl of people, and booths littering the floor showcasing Morgan Industries' various functions and hallmarks. Laura was surprised there wasn't a specific booth set up for them. She noticed a few people on the floor turning their heads to look at them, even snapping pictures.

"Now what do we do?" Laura whispered.

"Find my Mother, probably. She'll most likely wish to trot us out like a show pony," Carmilla replied.

"Great," Laura grumbled. "Where are we going to find her in this crowd?"

They didn't have to look far.

"Big smiles, dear," Lilita appeared beside them like she had poofed into existence. "When you're a journalist, you need to know when to smile even when you're not the focus of the story. People are much more persuaded to talk to someone with a welcoming demeanor, and you're supposed to be in love. You look miserable."

"Thanks," Laura growled, but she slapped on a smile anyway. She neglected to mention that Lilita's smile always looked painted on.

"Excellent. Now, look in love. Your first interview is about to get under way," Lilita ordered.

"Our first what?" Laura staggered as Lilita ushered a woman around Laura's age over.

"Ladies, this is Melancholy Callis, an editor for OUT Magazine," Lilita introduced.

"Um, Melanippe. You may call me Mel," she outstretched her hand.

Laura froze. An editor for OUT Magazine is interviewing her. Well, under false pretenses, but it was still huge. OUT had been something Laura had been eyeing for a long time. It could make a great connection.

Carmilla, noticing Laura's brain stalling, shook Mel's hand first.

"Pleasure," Carmilla gave a small smile.

"Oh, yeah, really nice to meet you," Laura also shook her hand, her smile maybe a little too large at that point. Maybe that was why she never did more than grunt work at the office.

"The pleasure is all mine. I've been dying to get a few words from the two of you ever since the news broke. What a love story you two must have. Is it really true you eloped in Vegas because you just couldn't wait?" Mel inquired.

"It's true. I just couldn't wait to put a ring on it, as they say," Carmilla stated, giving Laura a smile. Laura giggled awkwardly, but Mel seemed to ignore it.

"Wow, so I notice you're here instead of the honeymoon. Any plans for that?" Mel asked.

"Well it was just so sudden, we didn't have a time to plan out a trip," Carmilla answered, still looking at Laura. "Babe, you were saying you might want to go to New Orleans?"

A shiver went down Laura's spine for several reasons she chose to not acknowledge.

"Oh right. I love a good jazz band. Ha!" Laura did a little hop into a jazzhand state, and Mel raised her eyebrow. Laura immediately reserved herself. "Sorry, just, post-wedding jitters!"

"Really? Are you having any second thoughts about the sudden wedding?" Mel questioned. Laura sucked in a breath.

"No. No, no, no. No looking back or regrets here. I just-" Laura landed a soft punch on Carmilla's shoulder, "-love this one _so_ much. How could I ever regret any second I ever spent with her?"

Laura's smile was tight when she looked at Carmilla, whose smile faltered slightly. Mel looked between the two, perplexed.

"Okay… well how are you two doing in the spotlight with all this? Has it made any strain on your relationship?" Mel continued. Laura took a deep breath. She could answer this one like a normal human.

"Honestly, it's a bit overwhelming. Both Carmilla and I have always been private people so I guess it's a little awkward," Laura replied honestly. Lilita jumped in at that moment.

"But of course, they're so caught up in each other it's hard to even notice all the extra attention, right?" Lilita goaded. "Plus being a couple that other young LGBT couples thinking of getting married can look up to is such an honour to the both of them."

"Absolutely," Carmilla nodded.

"Interesting. This leads me into my next question. Would you recommend this kind of marriage to anyone thinking of getting married?" Mel asked.

"Well, sure, if that's what they want. Anyone wanting to get married are allowed to get married any way they want. As long as they _want_ it," Laura emphasised. Lilita eyed Laura cautiously and Laura shot her back a smug look. Yeah, she would get her own say in there if it killed her.

"That's a very lovely sentiment," Mel jotted down a few notes. "Finally, how do you think this marriage will interfere with your blog, Carmilla?"

"Her blog?" Laura blinked. Lilita and Carmilla stiffened while Mel's brow furrowed.

"Her blog. As in, her travel blog? How do you not know what your wife does for a living?" Mel inquired.

Laura's mouth hung open. She had no idea what Carmilla did. She never asked, never even thought about it.

"Oh, sorry. That's just a running joke between us," Laura elbowed Carmilla's gently. "Because we're together so often it's almost like she never goes anywhere, you know?"

Carmilla let out an awkward laugh to mix with Laura's. Mel looked skeptical but shrugged it off.

"So I assume it's not too much of a change to anything?" Mel questioned.

"No. I'll still travel and write about it. There won't be much of a change since we worked out a pretty good system when we were dating. Skype, and all that. We were never apart for long," Carmilla answered, and Laura could've sworn she saw Carmilla flinch at the last part.

"Perfect. Maybe we'll see a piece on New Orleans soon. Well, you two really do seem to have it figured out, don't you?" Mel said, still giving Laura a questioning glance. "Just one more thing, if you wouldn't mind posing for a picture?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Laura said, stepping closer to Carmilla.

"Hey now, you can give me more than that. Where's the closeness we saw in those wedding photos? I just want something similar to display this kind of love for my piece in the magazine," Mel urged.

Carmilla looked at Laura and rocked on her heels for a moment, looking uneasy about what she should do. Laura took a deep breath, putting her arms around Carmilla's waist and popping her foot up dramatically like a cheesy poster for a high school dance. Carmilla slowly but surely placed her arm around Laura's shoulder, and they both gave a smile.

It all felt way too familiar. Like a form of comfort Laura had let herself forget.

Her chest ached.

"Much better," Mel stated, snapping a photo. "It was really great talking to you. Hopefully we can chat again soon?"

"I'm certain they'd be delighted. Be sure to let your boss know I'd love to have a conversation with him over coffee sometime soon," Lilita announced.

"I will. Thank you for this opportunity, ma'am," Mel gave Lilita what seemed to be a firm handshake before skittering off into the crowd. Laura jumped away from Carmilla like she had been shocked and Lilita turned to glare at them.

"That… was pathetic," Lilita scoffed. "It was hard to believe you had even dated at any point in your lives. You didn't even know what your _wife_ does for a living."

"I thought I covered that up well enough!" Laura argued before turning to Carmilla. "But yeah, I had no idea you… I mean, that's so great for you. I remember you talking about your love of travelling a lot."

"Yeah, I- I wanted to do something I loved outside of my Mother's name, you know?" Carmilla shifted. "Sometimes it's nice to… get away."

"I guess so," Laura muttered, staring Carmilla down.

"See, this. Do more of this," Lilita gestured between the two of them. "This kind of passion. Keep it up for the rest of the evening, if you please. We have plenty more to visit with and I won't have you embarrassing me. Now, follow me."

Lilita turned on her heel and stalked away. Laura let out a sigh, moving her foot to follow suit, but Carmilla's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Hey, was calling you babe too much?" Carmilla asked. Laura turned to her, surprised.

"What?" Laura gaped.

"You froze up when I said that. I was… trying to play the part, but I know you don't want any nicknames. I just want to know if I crossed a line so I don't cross it in the future," Carmilla explained softly. "If we're going to be in this situation, I'd like us to at least communicate."

Laura looked at Carmilla, observing her soft yet sharp features. It looked like Carmilla really cared. The way she was looking at Laura made Laura's stomach do all sorts of flips.

Dammit. How dare she be all sweet and everything.

"Communication. Huh," Laura glowered, pulling her arm away. "It's fine. Just don't use pet names outside of this scenario."

"Got it," Carmilla nodded with a slight frown, following Laura as they headed off after Lilita.

Laura couldn't help but think she should've said no, but there was almost this sick part of her that enjoyed hearing Carmilla calling her babe again, if only for a moment.

All the more reason she should've said no.

As the evening dragged on, Laura got a little better at talking to people.

Yes, they had been seeing each other for six years.

No, they hadn't told their parents they were eloping.

Yes, Laura's dad was very supportive, as he understood the love that blossomed between them.

Yes, they had decided to keep the same last names.

No, there were no regrets.

Absolutely no regrets.

It became almost mechanical to bullshit the answers. Laura wondered if she was putting any emotions behind her words at all, but she was trying to hard to quell the ache in her chest.

The worst part were the pictures. When Laura had to pose in Carmilla's arms the same way she used to rest in them so long ago, the ache was so hard to ignore.

"Give us a kiss, then," the photographer shouted out to them. Laura and Carmilla tensed, both knowing that was where one of their boundaries were set.

"Um, I'm not really big on PDA…" Laura tried to wiggle out of the demand.

"Oh, c'mon now. You're married, aren't ya? Just a kiss for the readers," the photographer retaliated, holding his camera up and ready.

"Okay buddy, she said she wasn't comfortable," Carmilla glared. The photographer lowered his camera, looking perplexed.

"I ain't asking ya to shag for the camera or nothing. Do ya not kiss or something? Are you one of them couples?" he interrogated. Laura and Carmilla looked over his shoulder at Lilita, who gave them a stern nod.

God dammit.

"Oh, whatever," Laura huffed, grabbing Carmilla stiffly and pressing her lips to hers.

They just needed a quick kiss.

Laura heard the click of the camera and everything.

They could stop now.

Why was she still kissing Carmilla?

It was still so familiar. Laura felt something flood her chest, like the warmth of a flame. It was like she was inhaling fire. It felt so right.

Her throat tightened and there was a sting behind her eyes. She pushed away from Carmilla suddenly, that ache in her chest practically bursting. Laura hated that she craved the touch of Carmilla's lips again.

It shouldn't be like that. Not after what Carmilla did. Laura was stronger than that. She had to be.

The photographer whistling broke Laura out of the daze she was in. Carmilla was teetering on the spot.

"Hey now, see? That weren't so hard, were it? You gave me more than I bargained for with that, let me tell ya," the photographer cheered. Everybody around them seemed to stare at them in awe after the display. Laura looked at Lilita, expecting her to look pleased. Instead, she looked perplexed.

Laura took a deep breath, backing away from the crowd.

"I um… I need a bathroom break," Laura squeaked, turning and fleeing the scene.

She rushed into one of the gender-neutral bathrooms provided on the lobby floor and was pleased to see she was the only one in there. She rested her hands against the counter in front of one of the sinks, breathing deeply.

Why was is so hard to be around Carmilla like this? It should be so easy. It was just a kiss. Why did it make her feel like her ribcage was concaving?

She just had to hate Carmilla so much. That's the only thing that made sense. Carmilla just made her sick. It couldn't be anything but that. She wouldn't allow herself to go back there.

She hated Carmilla.

But then why was she so sweet? Why was Carmilla not matching up to all the thoughts and beliefs she had about her?

It just didn't make sense.

"Laura," Carmilla's voice broke through Laura's thoughts.

"What?" Laura snapped, not looking away from the sink. Was she going to throw up? She was probably going to throw up.

Carmilla paused, seeming unsure how to proceed.

"I think we should talk," Carmilla said slowly. "I know it's against the rules but, this seems to be too much for you and I don't know what to do-"

"I'm fine," Laura growled.

"You're clearly not," Carmilla gestured to her. "Laura, what did I do to you four years ago?"

"You're still asking that?" Laura gaped, finally turning to look at Laura. "You're still seriously wondering what you did to me?"

Carmilla paused again. She looked pale, almost weak.

"Laura, I'm sorr-"

"No, you don't get to do that," Laura stopped her. "You don't get to apologize four years later. You want to know why I never contacted you? Because part of me was always waiting for you to apologize first. For you to give me an explanation for what you did. You don't get to do that now to make yourself feel better."

Carmilla looked limp, tears in her eyes as she searched Laura's features. She took a deep breath.

"Can we please at least talk about it?" Carmilla questioned. "I'm not- Laura, I'm not the same person I was back then."

"That just seems like another way to make yourself feel better," Laura muttered. "I'm not going back there. That kiss was enough crossing boundaries for one night."

Carmilla shook her head, her fists shaking at her sides.

"We're never going to move past this if-"

"Maybe I don't want to," Laura glared. "Do you think we'll be friends after all this?"

Carmilla stayed silent for a moment, the only sound being the faint music flooding in from the expo and the drip of a leaky faucet.

"I guess I was hopeful," Carmilla whispered. "I guess I don't deserve it."

It was about six more drips of the leaky faucet before Laura spoke again.

"I find it ironic you're all about the open communication now," Laura grumbled.

"I told you, I'm different now," Carmilla huffed.

"Then why didn't I ever get my apology?" Laura questioned.

"I didn't think you wanted to hear from me," Carmilla croaked.

"And I figured you didn't want to hear from me," Laura retorted. "Why would you have?"

"That's not true, Laura. I never stopped wanting to hear from you. I never stopped missing you-"

" _You broke up with me_ ," Laura cut in. "Don't you dare say those things. You made the choice, Carmilla."

"And was it the wrong one?" Carmilla threw back. There was frustration behind her words, but also a morbid curiosity. It was like she was dangling over an edge.

Eleven leaky faucet drips passed.

"No," Laura's voice quavered. "I was better off without you."

Carmilla closed her eyes tight, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Glad we're in agreement," Carmilla mumbled.

"Guess you had nothing to apologize for," Laura nodded slowly. "So that settles that."

Why was her chest still bursting?

"Are you two **quite** finished?" Lilita's voice flooded from the entrance to the bathroom. "I've had to deter people from entering. Do you know how embarrassing it is to tell people that a Morgan Industries bathroom is out of order? I had one request of you."

Carmilla turned to her, blowing out a breath. "Sorry, Mother."

"You had better be. Now, clean yourselves up. Don't act like you just had a lovers' quarrel. You're supposed to be quite unconditionally in love, after all. There is still much of the night left," Lilita huffed, turning on her heel once again to exit the bathroom.

Laura sighed, wiping the stray tear resting on her cheek that had escaped. She slowly walked over to Carmilla, her chest still heavy.

"Do you feel better now that we've talked?" Laura questioned. When Carmilla stayed still and silent, Laura shook her head and walked on by.

But she still heard Carmilla's answer just before she got out of ear shot.

"No."

* * *

The next day, Laura and Carmilla were staring at a tablet Lilita had pushed toward them on her desk.

"I hope you two are pleased with yourselves," Lilita sneered. "Carmilla, may you please read what that article says?"

Carmilla cleared her throat. "Lilita Morgan's newest pin up story made its public debut last night at the NYME Tech-Crawl in the form of her daughter, Carmilla Karnstein, and her newlywed wife, Laura Hollis. After the story broke of their union yesterday, there was much anticipation for an adorable and 'awh'-inspiring display between the two same-gendered lovebirds. Instead what we got was a performance that seemed robotic and artificial-"

" **Robotic** and **artificial** ," Lilita shrilled. "And I don't blame them. I would have written the same thing after seeing you two last night. It was monumentally horrid. The pictures look like you're both in physical pain- especially the kissing shot. Now all these media outlets are debating if you're just a PR stunt."

"Aren't we?" Laura rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but what do you expect from two people who never meant to get married while sober-"

"It's a thing called **acting** ," Lilita stood, looking furious. "People act in love all the time. Do you really think anyone would actually believe someone who looks like Emma Watson would go for a lump like that weasel man? No. But they act like it anyway because a script told them to."

"Did you just reference Harry Potter?" Laura gaped. Lilita ignored her.

"Fine. We'll do better next time," Carmilla muttered.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't take your word on this one. I have a feeling we'll have to go for a more method approach," Lilita stated.

"What does that mean? How could we go more method? We're already actually married," Laura argued.

"Sure, physically. But you lack the emotional attachment – or at least aren't letting yourselves feel it. So, as proprietor of this 'PR stunt', I order the both of you to go on a date," Lilita announced.

"Excuse me?" Carmilla cocked her eyebrow. "That seems a little much."

"Why? Shouldn't married couples go on dates even after they're married? Apparently it's a sign of a long and lasting relationship. Our magazine once printed an article about it," Lilita explained. "All you two need to do is go out, have some fun, reconnect with one another. That way you might look somewhat natural next time for the camera, and maybe even know _what_ the other is doing for a living."

"I didn't sign up for this," Laura complained.

"Do you wish to bow out then, Ms Hollis? Make good on your threat?" Lilita inquired. Laura said nothing, but her leer was intense. "As I thought. Carmilla?"

Carmilla ruffled the back of her hair, and her eyes seemed tired.

"If Laura's up for it," Carmilla mumbled.

"Fantastic," Lilita picked up the tablet and started tapping away. "To sweeten the deal, I'll make it all expenses paid. You can do whatever you want as long as it's together. Think of it as a mini vacation."

"This isn't my idea of a vacation," Laura glared.

"Then think of it as work," Lilita stated. "Now, get out of my office. I have other business to attend to and you have a rather large date night to plan."

"Joy," Carmilla drawled, turning away from the desk.

"And try not to bite each other's heads of in a bathroom this time, would you?" Lilita called after them as they went through the giant office doors.

"Your mom's a witch. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was actually trying to set us up," Laura grumbled.

"I'm surprised you're going along with this," Carmilla mused. "You can still bow out, you know. You don't need to do me any favours."

"I'm doing this for myself. To clear my conscience of being the one to stupidly marry you," Laura said. "Whatever. Let's just try to have fun with your mom's credit card. At least we can get back at her that way."

"Alright. If you're sure," Carmilla sighed.

"It's not like it matters anyway. We're not going to be friends after all this, right? So no pressure," Laura declared. Carmilla looked down, nodding slowly.

"Yeah. Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt all over the place. But hey! Hopefully this spices things up a bit. Shit be complicated. You all are awesome. Keep on keeping on.


	3. Organ Harvester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had a good excuse for why this took so long. I can only blame a lack of motivation and video games. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

"I'm an asshole."

"Is this about that one time you ruined our The Last Airbender group cosplay for Comic Con because you decided to go as Supergirl last second?" LaF asked Laura, who pouted at them. "It's not the Gaang without Aang, Laura!"

"I'm sorry, but that bald cap was itchy! And no, that's not what this is about," Laura huffed.

"Well then I can't think of another instance of you being an asshole," LaF confirmed.

"LaFontaine is right, sweetie. The only time I've ever seen you be rude is when someone is being rude to you first," Perry pointed out.

"Or if someone says they hate Lois Lane," LaF chimed in.

"Who hates Lois Lane?!" Laura scoffed. "But no, it's not any of that. It's… Carmilla."

LaF immediately turned to Perry.

"I told you she'd bring her up. You owe me five bucks," LaF proclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Laura raised her eyebrow.

"Wha- I never agreed to such a bet!" Perry argued.

"You did. With your eyes," LaF said.

"Guys, this is serious. I'd really like to talk to my friends right now," Laura sighed, looking downtrodden. LaF and Perry stare at Laura a moment and adjust themselves on the couch, suddenly attentive.

Laura took a breath. "Look, I know you're still upset after I ruined the rest of the Las Vegas trip thanks to Carmilla, and you probably don't want to hear about it, but this is my life right now so I'd like some… advice."

"Oh, it's okay sweetie. LaFontaine and I had a lovely time even without you there," Perry grinned.

"We went to the machine gun shooting range," LaF smirked.

"That part wasn't so fun," Perry's smile fell.

"I'm glad you both were off having a good time at least. Meanwhile I was here in my personal hell," Laura deflated.

"What's up? Has Carmilla been that bad?" LaF questioned.

"It's not Carmilla. Well, it is. I think," Laura let out a long sigh. "But it's also me."

"What'd you do?" LaF asked.

"Did you… did you two… you know… canoodle again?" Perry made a sour face.

"What? No. No! There was no canoodling. Zero canoodling," Laura grimaced. "It's not so much something I did but more of… how I am around her."

"Have feelings resurfaced _now_?" LaF inquired.

"Ugh, why do you keep asking that?" Laura huffed.

"Well, dear, we were a little curious when you, um… decided to stay married to her a bit longer," Perry admitted.

"It wasn't like that," Laura sighed, looking at her hands in her lap. LaF and Perry glanced at each other.

"Laur, it's fine if some did. Even for a moment," LaF assured her.

"Yes. Sometimes feelings come back for an old flame and that's completely fine and normal-" Perry started.

"Why are you both so convinced that I have feelings for her again? You both know any feelings I have towards her are… loathing," Laura affirmed.

"That's what Glinda and Elphaba said about each other and they're one of your OTPs," LaF challenged. Laura shot LaF a glare.

"Don't you dare being Wicked into this," Laura glowered. "You guys are supposed to be giving me advice, not an intervention."

"Sorry, sweetie. But from what LaFontaine and I remember, you were pretty hung up on her while you were in your relationship," Perry said.

"If your reaction to after the break up was any indication," LaF added.

"I wasn't… I wasn't hung up on her," Laura argued.

"Are you sure? Because from what Perr and I remember, you were both pretty head over heels for each other," LaF continued.

Laura sat silently, her hands now writhing in her lap. Thinking about it started to stir up all those unpleasant feelings she had at the Tech-Crawl.

"Maybe we could better understand if we knew what caused the break up," Perry suggested. LaF jumped in.

"We've never wanted to pry because you never wanted to talk about it, but it's been four years-"

"This… has nothing to do with anything," Laura stated, frustrated. "Okay, yes. There was something. A moment where I missed it."

"Missed her?" LaF tried to clarify.

"No, not… not her. It. Having someone. Someone to, I don't know, share myself with. I missed it," Laura admitted.

"Well that sounds perfectly normal as well, Laura," Perry affirmed.

"Yeah," Laura crossed her arms, "but it's what came afterward that bothers me. I just got so, so angry at her."

"What'd she do?" LaF inquired.

"Nothing, really. I mean, other than drudging up the past against my wishes. But even then, I said some really awful things that I don't think she deserved… at least, not in the moment," Laura recalled.

"Well, as you said, you do 'loathe' her after she whatever did," Perry noted.

"Which we still don't know, by the way," LaF pointed out. Laura gave LaF a glare and ignored them.

"I am still angry at her. But I've been trying to be civil. You'd think I'd at least be able to be civil. But then at the event, everything just came to a head and all this fury hit me the longer I had to be with her," Laura shook her head. "Like I said, I'm an asshole."

"That's not like you," Perry said.

"I know!" Laura groaned. "That's why I'm asking for help! I thought I'd be fine the next morning but now I see her and I just see red. I'm suppose to go on a fake date with her, but I made us wait a few days so I could cool off. But I don't know. It won't go over well if I explode again."

"This might be a crazy idea, but do you think it's because you haven't addressed what happened between you two properly?" LaF questioned.

"Oh, yes. Communication is key, after all," Perry nodded, but Laura shook her head.

"We did talk. Briefly. I honestly think it made things worse," Laura sighed. Perry looked astounded.

"What? No. Impossible. Communication is _key_!" Perry repeated, shriller. LaF gave Perry a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Are you sure you were both completely being open?" LaF asked.

"I was being more open than I wanted to be, if you ask me," Laura mumbled.

"You ever think that might be the problem? No offense, Laura, but I've known you a few years now so I know you tend to internalize. And if something's bothering you, you try to ignore it and throw yourself into something else. Like Las Vegas when your work is being a hassle?" LaF reasoned.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with taking a vacation," Laura grumbled.

"Sure, but you might've went a little too hard if you hadn't noticed," LaF stated. "I'm just saying, if you want to stop being Mount Vesuvius around her, you might need to alleviate the pressure on you."

"Ooh, yes! For example, maybe you might be trying too hard to push her away?" Perry suggested.

"Exactly! Look, I don't know the full story, but from an objective perspective, maybe in this case being civil means forgiving and forgetting, at least for a short while," LaF said.

"But you _don_ ' _t_ know the full story! I can't just… forgive her…" Laura trailed off.

"Do you think she's trying?" Perry questioned. Laura looked up at her.

"What?"

"Do you think she's trying. Do you think Carmilla is trying her best to put everything behind you so you can move forward civilly?" Perry rephrased. Laura opened her mouth to argue, but paused, sinking back into her chair.

"…Maybe," Laura admitted. LaF nodded slowly.

"Then maybe, if you want this to work, you need to put forth that effort too," LaF stated.

Laura looked between the two of them.

"Why couldn't I have friends who just agreed with me on everything?" Laura groaned.

"Because then you'd have some pretty shitty friends," LaF grinned. Laura groaned again.

This is what she got for making friends with the Ultimate Mom Friend and an Unofficial Truth Speaker.

* * *

Laura figured Lilita would have put Carmilla up somewhere fancy while she stayed in New York City. After all, she had lived in her mom's building in Las Vegas. But to her surprise, Carmilla had insisted she pay her own way and rented out a space – some condo turned Airbnb. It was there that Laura stiffly made her way towards to fetch Carmilla for their "date".

Except it wasn't a date. Not even remotely. They were just hanging out to satiate Lilita's wishes of making them grow a closer bond. The thought made Laura's stomach twist, but after the talk she had with LaF and Perry, she figured she could at least mend what they had broken – what Laura had broken. She could be civil. She had to be.

Laura took a deep breath and knocked on Carmilla's door.

She could do this. Just be cool, Hollis. It's not a date. It's just Laura taking the opportunity to make up for her behaviour.

The thought was possibly more mortifying than a date.

Maybe she couldn't do this.

Before Laura could overthink it further, the door cracked open and Carmilla's eye peaked from behind a chain.

Was it Laura's imagination, or did the eye seem a little red and puffy?

The chain unhooked and the door swung open, revealing Carmilla in her usual leather and studded glory. It still somehow made Laura forget how to breathe for a second.

No, she couldn't let herself get flustered. Unless repressing the fluster is what was the problem. Ugh, her friends had gotten into her head.

"Hi!" Laura exclaimed suddenly, sticking her arm out as if for a hand shake. Laura mentally suplexed herself. Idiot.

Carmilla looked down slowly at the hand, puzzled for a moment, before nodding.

"Ah, I get it. All business, right?" Carmilla sighed, gently shaking Laura's hand. She went to pull away but Laura's hand clamped on through instinct.

Definitely getting flustered.

"No, wait," Laura muttered, "that's not what I want. Look, I was a jerk at the Tech Crawl. I wish I had an excuse but I really don't."

Carmilla blinked, "S'okay."

"Would you stop that? You keep being so submissive," Laura snapped, but quickly caught herself, taking another deep breath. "It's just, I would understand if you wanted to yell at me. It was uncalled for."

Carmilla tilted her head. "Would you feel better if I yelled at you?"

Laura opened her mouth, ready to snap again, but she saw the smile on Carmilla's face.

"You're teasing me," Laura huffed.

"Absolutely. I'll take that as my revenge for anything 'uncalled for', if you don't mind. That scrunched up face is all the apology I need," Carmilla smirked. Laura rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I deserve that," Laura relented. Carmilla's face grew serious again.

"But I heard you. We don't need to be friends. I get it. You don't need to worry about that from me. We'll just hang out today like two people forced into a group project," Carmilla stated.

Laura fought the urge to flinch. A group project is what drew the two of them together in the first place. The memory made something burn in Laura's throat, and her brain was suddenly sending signals down to her feet to run away from it all.

But it was all ridiculous. She knew that. Just because they were hanging out for the day didn't mean it was all going to happen all over again. Too much had changed. The both of them had changed. Maybe she could make this work in new circumstances. She had to at least try.

"Actually, that was uncalled for, too," Laura said, frowning. "I'm not saying we'll ever be close – hell, who can say if we'll even talk again after all this is over. I have no idea what's going to happen. But," Laura paused, her grip tightening on Carmilla's hand, "maybe, for now, we can try to be friends."

Carmilla seemed to stare at Laura with a hard intensity. It was as if Carmilla had been locked into a moment, her body and it's functions frozen. Laura wasn't even sure if Carmilla was breathing.

Oh god, had she died standing up?!

Before Laura could freak out and call an ambulance, Carmilla finally spoke.

"I'd like that," Carmilla whispered. "I'm not sure I deserve it, but I appreciate the chance."

Laura felt a blush creep into her cheeks and she looked away.

"Well I figured it'd be awkward hanging out today enough as it was, so…" she trailed off. Carmilla let out a chuckle.

"Maybe today won't be as tense as I thought it'd be," Carmilla said. Laura shook her head.

"Oh, it still will be. Friendship is earned after all and I still think you're a jerk," Laura scoffed. Carmilla leaned in a little closer.

"Well, as you've demonstrated and admitted, so are you," Carmilla retorted. Laura's eyes narrowed, but she knew Carmilla had a point.

"Fine. Then we're both a bunch of jerks," Laura muttered.

"Seems like things are shaping up to be a beautiful friendship," Carmilla smiled, and the white gleam of Carmilla's teeth suddenly made Laura realize how close their faces were.

Laura could just lurch forward a couple inches and they'd be kissing.

Why did she want to?

Why did she _really_ want to?

She was _trying_ the friendship thing!

Laura tried to shake it off. She accredited to some sort of muscle memory. How many times had she leaned up slightly to kiss Carmilla like that? It was just familiar, that's all.

She missed it. Not Carmilla. Just it.

Laura tried to quell the anger burning in her chest again.

"Uh, Laura?" Carmilla questioned.

" _What_?" Laura barked in response. Nice job on the quelling.

"You can let go of my hand now," Carmilla muttered. It was then that Laura realized the death grip she had on Carmilla's hand still. She quickly released it.

"Oh, whoops," Laura grimaced. "Sorry."

Carmilla flexed her hand, shaking it out. "It's not something I'd usually mind but I hope all my bones are still intact," she said.

"Oh, come on, my grip is not that strong. You big baby," Laura scoffed, and they grinned at each other.

Maybe she could do this.

"So what's first?" Laura questioned. Carmilla seemed to form an annoyed expression, although it wasn't aimed at Laura.

"First we get into the limo. I'm sure it's parked down in front of the building by now," Carmilla grumbled. Laura's jaw dropped open.

"A limo? That seems a tad… extravagant," Laura commented.

"It wasn't my choice. My Mother wanted to give us transportation to anywhere across the city and she wanted to be sure we were seen 'in style'. Ergo, limo," Carmilla shrugged.

"Well, I did want to run her credit card," Laura sighed. "Limo it is."

"Limo it is," Carmilla repeated, nodding. "You got your ring?"

"Sure do," Laura replied, holding up her hand as they headed down the hallway to the elevator. "It's lucky we're really not that big of a deal outside of queer circles or people would seriously question why a married couple is meeting up from different living spaces to go on a date."

"Yeah, hopefully no nosy journalists like you decide to look too deeply into this," Carmilla teased.

"Nosy journalists are the best kind," Laura grinned. "I just don't know who your mom thinks is going to see us."

Carmilla's brow furrowed as the elevator closed around them.

"I wonder."

* * *

Initially, Laura planned to take full advantage of the "all expense paid date". She figured they could rent out an entire movie theatre and watch all the foreign films they wanted – while sitting on opposite sides of the theatre. They could also buy several games of paintball so that Laura could unleash her anger in the form of shooting Carmilla with tiny paint bullets.

They could get tickets for Hamilton.

But unfortunately, Laura had decided to rekindle some semblance of a friendship. She figured to do that, they would have to be in a situation where they could talk – not about their feelings, as that went disastrously the last time, but just talk. Laura had committed to this friendship thing and Laura Hollis didn't half-ass anything she committed to (except marriage, apparently).

So she had the limo drop them off at Central Park.

"How quaint," Carmilla commented as they headed down one of the many paths, looking at the trees. "You didn't want to go to some other iconic city location like the Empire State Building?"

"And wait in the line of tourists for seven hours? No thank you," Laura huffed. "Besides, this park has a statue of Balto."

"The one dog I'm not allergic to," Carmilla smiled. "Strange. I grew up in this city yet I sort of feel like a tourist now. Feels like I've lived in Nevada forever."

"I suppose you're used to feeling like a tourist," Laura stated. Carmilla gave her a puzzled look but her eyes soon lit up with recognition.

"Ah, you're referring to my travel blog," Carmilla nodded.

"Mutterings of a Wayfarer?" Laura questioned. "I did some digging."

Carmilla stared at Laura in surprise.

"My, you really are a journalist," Carmilla chuckled.

"The nosy are the best kind," Laura grinned. Carmilla smiled, looking away and instead focusing on a biker going by.

"So what did you think?" Carmilla asked quietly.

"It was more than I expected," Laura mused. "I've never really visited travel blogs before. I was just expecting a write up on the place you travelled and maybe a list of things to do but the way you expended it? There were pictures, vlogs, recipes on local cuisine, even deals on tours… but if I'm being honest, my favourite was when you went beyond the tourism and dug into the nitty gritty of a place you were visiting."

"Ah, you saw that," Carmilla mumbled.

"Yeah, I did. You would show the beautiful parts of a city or country, but you'd also draw attention to things that _should_ be paid attention to, and leave links for people to help if they wanted. Like your write up on trans culture and conditions in Rio. It's a form of journalism all in itself," Laura rambled.

"You liked that, huh?" Carmilla smiled. "Yeah, I wish I had more time and resources to dig into such issues, but I have to be careful. I don't want to overstep when I'm an outsider, and often I get funded by tourism bureaus so that my blog will attract tourists. They often don't want me to show a darker underbelly, and sometimes I need to respect their wishes. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford to do all the travelling I do. My blog is doing well, but not that well."

"Clearly it must be doing well enough to capture the attention of tourism bureaus," Laura noted.

"I suppose. I never meant for it to garner this much attention. It just started as a passion project – a place to put my thoughts and archive my experiences, because I didn't want my time abroad to become just figments of my memories. I guess it worked out, career wise. Lucky, huh?" Carmilla snorted.

"I don't think it's luck. You followed something you were passionate for. You worked for it. You can't tell me you didn't earn it," Laura scoffed.

Carmilla stopped on a bridge – the Bow Bridge, a site of many romantic movies, much to Laura's chagrin – and leaned against the side. She was silent a moment, watching a couple of mallards float underneath the arch.

"Thanks, Laura," Carmilla said, "but I believe there must be some luck to it. What about you? You're one of the most passionate people I've ever met. You've always worked so hard. I remember all the sleepless nights you had back in university. For what? To play lackey for a bunch of stuck up writers and editors?"

"Gee, thanks," Laura flinched. Carmilla shook her head.

"I just mean you deserve all the success in the world based on your work ethic alone. I was expecting you to already have your own news outlet by now. Instead you're stuck under your own glass ceiling? It's not fair," Carmilla grumbled. "Meanwhile, here I am. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't want the responsibilities of getting a job, paying bills, getting my shit together… so I did what I did best. I ran away. I wrote about it. And I got lucky."

Carmilla's eyes fixed on her hands, her fingers picking at the cuticles of her nails. Laura recognized the habit. It was one Carmilla had back in university – an anxious habit. She had always tried to get Carmilla to stop, as it often made the base of her nails raw and irritated. Carmilla had apparently never kicked the habit.

Laura used to hold her hand to help her stop.

She couldn't do that now.

It made Laura's frustration begin to rise again.

"Anyway," Carmilla sighed, looking up, "a bit of a heavy topic for a first date, no?"

Laura felt the tension in her relax a bit, and she chuckled.

"Well, we're friends, right? Friends talk about their lives," Laura declared, leaning against the railing of the bridge next to Carmilla. Laura had lived in the city her whole life, but she had never spent much time on the Bow Bridge. She could see how it could be considered so romantic. Not that she cared. "Besides, now with this deal with your mom, maybe I can shatter that glass ceiling."

"As long as you don't get cut by the shards on your way up," Carmilla stated. She paused a moment, taking a deep breath. "Hey, Laura? This… being friends thing. Do you really want to be or are you just trying have this whole arrangement go smoothly? I'll be fine either way, but I would just like to know where we stand."

Damn, Laura forgot sometimes how astute Carmilla could be. Or maybe Carmilla just overthought too much. She never really knew what was going through Carmilla's head sometimes, even when they were dating. Maybe that was part of the whole problem.

Laura wanted to be honest, to say she just wanted everything to go smoothly.

But would that be the honest answer?

She looked over at Carmilla, the angles of her profile, the way the sun reflected off her skin. She was beautiful, sure. Laura could admit that. There was a time that Laura thought Carmilla might've been the most beautiful person alive. Maybe.

But that would be a superficial reason to be friends with someone.

No, there was something about hearing about Carmilla's life again. Laura _liked_ it. She liked hearing what Carmilla was up to, what lead her to this point. And again, maybe it was the journalist in her, but maybe she wanted to see where Carmilla would go next. She was an interesting person. Who could blame her?

Interesting. Captivating. Same difference, really.

Maybe she truly wanted to be friends.

Maybe she _did_ miss Carmilla.

"I'd like to at least try," Laura finally said. Carmilla looked over at her with a smile.

"I'll take it," Carmilla sighed.

Laura and Carmilla put their hands down on the railing at the same moment, causing the edges of their hands to overlap, brushing over each other. Laura quickly pulled away and they looked at each other, and Laura chastised herself for feeling flustered.

But she didn't feel angry.

Maybe all she really had to do was accept Carmilla's friendship. Maybe it was that simple.

"Anyway, we should probably continue our 'date' that Mother dearest so earnestly subjected on us," Carmilla sighed, turning away. "Still a lot of trees in this park we have yet to see. And another tree. And another…"

"Is this how you usually take in the sights? Tree watching?" Laura chuckled, catching up to Carmilla's brisk pace.

"As a native of the city, I've seen enough of the 'main attractions' to last me a lifetime," Carmilla shrugged. "It's not like I'm loathe to visit with the more touristy parts of a new place – many of them earn their popularity – but if you've noticed from my blog, I have a certain affinity with Urban Exploration."

"Sounds edgy," Laura noted. "Isn't that a bit dangerous? And sometimes illegal?"

"Maybe that's what makes it so enjoyable," Carmilla smirked. "I keep the more… notorious ventures off my blog, but no matter where I go, I leave my mark. Something that embroiders my existence into ruin forever – at least until urbanization and restoration wash it all away."

"What mark is that? Your initials in a heart?" Laura teased, and Carmilla smirked.

"A quote," Carmilla began. "One's mind once stretched by new experience may never regain its original dimensions."

"Profound," Laura said. "Are there any particular favourite places where that quote is resting?"

"Several. The vaults of Edinburgh. Six Flags in New Orleans," Carmilla paused a moment, pondering. "The Freedom Tunnel here in the city."

"Really?" Laura's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I've heard of that. Never been there."

"Maybe I'll take you if Mother ever forces us on a date again," Carmilla chuckled as they continued to stroll along.

Laura looked over at Carmilla. She looked peaceful, as if asleep while awake. She could see the way wandering the globe and experiencing new and unique places lit Carmilla up. When Laura had dated her back in university, travelling the world had just been a dream of Carmilla's. Now it was reality. The shift was obvious.

Just reading Carmilla's travel blog made Laura catch the travel bug herself, but talking to Carmilla about her adventures just extended it that much further. She wanted to see these places that Carmilla mentioned – but not just on her own. _With_ Carmilla. Laura wanted to see everything Carmilla saw in these places, and experience what she experienced.

Her brain was really being gung-ho about this new friendship.

"Actually, you just gave me a great idea for my blog. A top ten list of my favourite urban exploration locations. It'll be a good place holder while I'm kept here," Carmilla looked at Laura. "I suppose I should thank you."

Laura shot her a grin.

"What are friends for?" Laura inquired with a laugh.

_Friends_.

Carmilla suddenly looked puzzled and pulled out her phone. Laura watched as Carmilla swiped over the screen a few times, her eyes narrowing.

"Son of a bitch," Carmilla cursed. She started looking around their surroundings suspiciously.

"What?" Laura questioned, confused. Carmilla let out a low sigh and she read off her phone.

"Could you two doves possibly take a moment to hold hands or something of that like? You're providing me with horrid material," Carmilla recited, locking her phone. "Compliments of my Mother."

"Excuse me? How would she know…" Laura trailed off as the lightbulb went off in her head. "She had us followed."

"I should've known," Carmilla grumbled, looking around again. Her sights zeroed in on a nearby bush and she growled. "There he is."

"Who?" Laura asked, staring at the bush.

"Theo. Speaking of lackeys…" Carmilla huffed. Laura took a closer look at the bush and saw a man squatting in the foliage in full camo, branches sticking out of his hat and a fancy camera in his hands. He waved at them.

Carmilla stuck out her middle finger.

"Well that's invasive," Laura frowned.

"This is so typical. As if this whole date idea being a way to shape us into better pawns isn't bad enough," Carmilla muttered darkly, but she softened as she looked at Laura. "I'm sorry, Laura. I didn't want this to be just about that. I really wanted to take the opportunity to at least find a common ground with you. For once I didn't want any of our interactions to be… a ruse."

Laura looked at Carmilla sympathetically. She really was trying.

It made Laura feel guiltier than ever.

"It hasn't been a ruse. None of it so far today, anyway. That hasn't changed just because we found out there's a fly on the wall," Laura assured her.

"Maybe I don't feel like sharing you right now," Carmilla's voice was quiet, Laura almost didn't hear her. Then Carmilla turned toward Theo, her voice raising. "Would you like us to _fuck_ right here in the park? Get some good shots of that? Maybe Mother would love to slap that on her front page!"

"Uh, Carmilla," Laura touched Carmilla's arm, nervously looking at the curious passerby's who were staring at Carmilla decidedly yelling at a bush.

Apparently Carmilla was holding in her own form of anger.

Carmilla seemed to snap out of it at Laura's touch and looked at her, slightly mortified.

"Sorry- I didn't mean we should actually- I know we wouldn't-" Carmilla floundered.

"Your mom really gets under your skin," Laura pointed out. Carmilla deflated.

"Yes, she does," Carmilla admitted.

Laura looked over at Theo, who had his camera ready (Laura hoped he wasn't waiting for Carmilla to make good on her offer), and then back at Carmilla.

"Alternatively, I like to get under your mom's skin," Laura proclaimed. "If she's set up this date as a way to get ahead on the newly weds, why don't we steal that from her?"

"How do you mean?" Carmilla inquired, and Laura smirked.

"We're popular with the queer community, right? So lets go someplace where we'll be noticed. Pictures of us on our date will be all over social media before your mom can ever take credit. It'll be old news," Laura schemed. Carmilla cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm still not too keen on making this about the ruse, but I'm up for being a thorn in Mother's side. You have my attention," Carmilla urged, and Laura smiled.

"Well, I happen to know of a pretty trendy lesbian café – and it's walking distance from where you're staying right now!" Laura exclaimed.

"Really? I don't know about any lesbian cafés near there," Carmilla commented.

"It just opened up in the past couple of years. Maybe I also get to show you parts of the city you haven't seen before," Laura smirked, and Carmilla smiled.

"I'd like that. Lead the way. I wouldn't mind some baked goods anyway," Carmilla stated.

"You'll have to try their danishes. Ooh, they also make this caeser wrap which is incredible. They put crispy chicken in it with a toothpick sticking out of it with a tiny pride flag attached. Also-" Laura prattled on as they headed out through the rest of the park. Neither of them were paying attention to the imminent danger approaching them quickly.

"Hey! Watch out!" a man yelled from far away. Laura and Carmilla turned toward the shout to see a big, fluffy dog barrelling towards them.

Carmilla couldn't get out of the way in time.

"Oof!" Carmilla groaned as the dog crashed into her legs, making her lose balance. The dog wasn't fazed in the least as it continued on its rampage. Carmilla, however, could not keep her footing and toppled over.

Right into Laura.

Laura wasn't any good at keeping her footing either.

They both crashed to the ground, Carmilla on top of Laura, their limbs tangled and their lungs gasping for the wind that had been knocked out of the both of them.

"Sorry! He really needs obedience training!" the man called out as he sprinted by, chasing after his clumsy hound.

Laura felt dazed. Everything had just happened so fast.

And Carmilla was on top of her.

Another familiar sensation. The only difference being the presence of clothes.

"Fucking hell. This is why I'm allergic to those things," Carmilla grumbled. She lifted her head and her eyes met with Laura's. There was a moment of pause as they became aware of their position. "Um…"

Carmilla's weight on top of her stirred up feelings in Laura that she did not want to acknowledge.

Or, that she didn't want to acknowledge that she wanted to acknowledge it.

Why was she even thinking about it? This is the same Carmilla that _hurt her_. One drunken fling was already too much, even without the marriage.

Laura quickly pushed Carmilla off and jumped up. She felt that anger rising again. Apparently it wasn't as simple as accepting Carmilla as her friend.

"S-Sorry," Carmilla stammered, looking up at Laura. Laura took a deep breath. Civil. She could be civil.

"It's whatever. Let's go to that café," Laura mumbled, helping Carmilla up.

Carmilla's phone, which had cluttered to the ground, lit up with another text message from Lilita.

" **That's more like it!** "

* * *

It had been an awkward trip to the limo and then again to the café. Their little stumble in the park had given Lilita more than enough material for whatever puff piece she wanted to publish the next day. But at least they could still get the visibility out there before Lilita could. Plus, a latte sounded so good to Laura right about then.

Eyes were already on them when they entered the café, thanks to the limo. The café was packed, due to it living up to the trendy label, and people were already stopping what they were doing to stare and whisper to one another. People were already snapping pictures.

It had been what Laura had been asking for, but it still made her uncomfortable, considering she knew the marriage everyone was talking about was just a lie.

Her marriage.

Ugh.

Luckily, Laura's anger had quelled quite a bit by the time they got to the café. It wasn't Carmilla's fault she had fallen on top of her.

It also wasn't Laura's fault it stirred up some inappropriate feelings about her _friend_ , as she kept telling herself. She was only human, after all.

But Carmilla was still an asshole. Even if she was… among the nicest assholes she ever had to deal with lately.

Carmilla pulled out a stool for her. Case and point.

"So this place is nice. A little too bright and modern if you ask me, but it's cozy," Carmilla observed, sitting next to Laura.

"Not everything can be a smoky, dark, underground tavern full of goths and poets," Laura huffed.

"Yes, but what a world that would be," Carmilla teased. Laura chuckled.

See, back to a comfortable norm. Laura could still do this.

A woman at the counter walked up to them, beaming.

"It's an honour to have you two in our café today!" she greeted. "I'll make you both our special latte of the day. On the house."

Both Laura and Carmilla froze.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary-" Carmilla started, but the woman waved her off.

"Don't be ridiculous. Think of it as a wedding gift," she insisted, heading off to the machines. Carmilla blew out a low breath.

"Are you feeling as guilty as I am?" Laura whispered to her.

"It's fine. I'll just leave enough money in the tip jar on the way out," Carmilla decided.

"I guess we really are well known in queer circles," Laura concluded. They looked at each other, ashamed. They didn't want any special treatment for something that wasn't real.

Just then, three young girls walked up to them.

"Um, are you Laura and Carmilla?" one of them asked. Laura nodded.

"We sure are," she confirmed. The three girls grinned at each other.

"Hollstein," one of them whispered.

"Sorry?" Carmilla raised an eyebrow and one of the girls lightly elbowed the girl that whispered.

"Don't mind her. Um, so we read about you online, and," the girl shifted slightly, "I just wanted to tell you that you gave me the strength to come out to my parents."

Laura's eyes widened.

"Wow. Really?" Laura questioned.

"Yeah! You're both just so _out there_ you know? And the fact that you loved each other so much you just couldn't wait to get married-" the girl continued, but his time she got elbowed by her friend.

"You're being embarrassing," the friend warned, and Carmilla chuckled.

"Did you parents take it well?" Carmilla asked, and the all brightened up.

"Yes! They told me they knew all along and they love me no matter who I love," the girl explained. Another one chimed in, encouraged by Carmilla and Laura's interest.

"And you made me brave enough to tell a girl I had a crush on her! I have a date on Friday!" she exclaimed. The girl in the middle giggled.

"She wants a relationship like you two," she stated. The girl with a crush slapped a hand over the snitcher's mouth.

"Shut up!" she chided.

Laura and Carmilla blushed.

The girl not involved in the kerfuffle looked at them earnestly.

"Could we get a picture?"

Laura and Carmilla spent the next few minutes taking selfies with the young girls, who were through the roof to meet the two of them. By the time the girls giddily went back to their table, the lattes had been placed in front of them.

Laura wiped away a tear.

"Well… I still feel bad, but… that was adorable. It's crazy to think how much we might of impacted lives, just by getting married in the spotlight," Laura sighed.

"I guess Mother was right about that one," Carmilla drawled, taking a sip of her latte.

"She can never know," Laura muttered.

It was then that a woman, this time around their age, approached them. Laura thought it would be another admirer, but this one just sidled right up to Carmilla. She leaned against the counter, flipping the blonde hair from her face.

The way the woman was looking at Carmilla bothered Laura.

"Hey there, beautiful," the woman clicked her tongue. "I frequent this place pretty often. Never seen you before, though. I think I'd remember."

"I'm from out of town," Carmilla shrugged.

"Oh, an out of towner. Interesting. Where are you from, sugar plum?" the woman asked.

Seriously? Rhyming nicknames? That woman needed to step off.

"Actually, she's from the city, but she moved away," Laura jumped in. The woman looked briefly over Carmilla at Laura, but ignored her.

And suddenly Laura's anger was back.

"You look like the adventurous type," the woman commented.

"I suppose so," Carmilla stated, taking another sip of her latte.

Didn't this lady know who they were?

Laura tried not to think about how arrogant that sounded in her head.

"I can show you some adventure, you know," the woman offered.

"I already know the city pretty well," Carmilla replied.

Didn't she see the rings?

"Well I'm sure you haven't seen my apartment. Some pretty adventurous rooms in there that you won't see anywhere else," the woman winked.

Seriously, what kind of lesbian didn't look at the internet every so often?

"I'm sure it's something to behold," Carmilla said.

Wait… was Carmilla blushing?

"My apartment isn't the only thing worth beholding," the woman husked, her hand slightly pulling at the top of her own button up so Carmilla could see her bra strap. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I'd probably look better after a few drinks," Carmilla mumbled, and the woman smirked.

Why wasn't Carmilla telling this person that she was married!?

Oh.

Right.

The woman pulled out a paper and pen and jotted down her number on it.

"If you're looking for a good time tonight, look me up," she said, sliding the number towards Carmilla. Carmilla took it, and slipped it into her back pocket. The woman winked before strutting off, leaving them alone.

There was silence between them.

"This latte is pretty decent. You were right about this place," Carmilla commented.

Laura was fuming.

"Yeah. Sure," Laura mumbled. Carmilla looked over at her.

"Have you been enjoying yours?" Carmilla asked. Laura looked at her barely touched latte.

"Don't know," Laura grumbled. Carmilla's brow furrowed.

"What happened? You were fine a second ago," Carmilla inquired.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Laura stated, but Carmilla's forehead just crinkled further.

"Is this about that girl? Laura, it's just a number-"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun using that later. Or better yet, why don't you go use it now? She's still here. Go have fun," Laura stood up, feeling tears sting her eyes as she headed towards the door.

She tried to hold it together. She didn't want the girls who admired their fake relationship to see her upset.

"Laura!" Carmilla called out, but Laura was already out the door and headed down the street.

Laura felt awful. Like something tearing her up inside. Her chest and throat felt tight. She just wanted to scream.

What was wrong with her?

Her chest ached more at the fact that Carmilla hadn't chased after her. Maybe she really did go off to have fun with that blonde girl.

Fine.

Why shouldn't she.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Carmilla was a big girl, she could do whatever she wanted.

Laura didn't care.

Laura didn't care.

Laura didn't care.

Laura didn't-

"Laura!"

Carmilla's footsteps got louder as she approached Laura from behind, catching up. Laura bit back the urge to scream at her.

"What the hell, Laura? What was that about? You just stormed out. We're hanging out today, remember? I'm not looking to sleep with anyone," Carmilla huffed.

"But you can, can't you? You have her number," Laura muttered. Carmilla paused for a moment.

"…It sounds like you want me to sleep with her more than I do," Carmilla said.

"So you did want to sleep with her? Great. Don't let me old you back," Laura growled.

"Ugh, Laura," Carmilla groaned. "It's not like we're really married, as you've made abundantly clear."

"Yes, I'm _aware_ ," Laura snapped. "Just don't let it get back to the media or anything. Wouldn't want to crush any young lesbian hearts that looked up to our fallacy."

"Why are you so mad at me suddenly? I thought we were cool," Carmilla shook her head.

"I don't know!" Laura cried. "Maybe you just deserve better than whoever that was!"

"Deserve better?" Carmilla blinked. "What do you mean by that? And how can you even know that? We know nothing about her."

"Yeah, a real match made in heaven right there. She could be an organ harvester for all you know. But by all means, bang her," Laura scoffed.

"Oh my god," Carmilla groaned. "I didn't even want to sleep with her, for fuck's sake!"

"Then why'd you get all flirty and take her number?" Laura accused.

"Because I didn't want her to move onto you!" Carmilla shouted, and they both paused on the sidewalk. Laura glared at her.

"Why not?" Laura interrogated.

"I don't know, maybe she was an organ harvester," Carmilla muttered. "Maybe I just didn't want you to sleep with anyone, okay? But clearly that was wrong of me. Because you're right. We're not married. And I don't want you to think whatever the fuck this is will hold you back from fucking whoever you want. It's not like we'll be together much longer anyway, right? So, maybe _you_ can go back. Take your pick. I'm sure you can get whoever you want in this city."

Carmilla stormed into a doorway, and in Laura's stunned state she noticed they had marched right to the base of Carmilla's apartment. She watched Carmilla's retreating form head to the elevator and disappear behind it.

What had Carmilla just said?

She didn't want Laura sleeping with anyone?

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet," Laura muttered, rushing after Carmilla.

She went for the stairs, sprinting up them to try and beat the elevator. By the time she got to Carmilla's floor, Carmilla was just heading through her apartment door.

Laura slammed her hand on it, stopping it from closing. Carmilla jump around in shock. Her eyes were puffy again.

"What the frilly hell?" Carmilla stared. Laura took deep, panting breaths.

"Why… don't you want… me sleeping… with anyone?" Laura gasped. Carmilla's eyes narrowed.

"We don't need to discuss this. Just forget I said anything," Carmilla grumbled, trying to push the door closed.

"Oh, so now you don't want to talk?" Laura glowered, pushing the door open with intense strength. She shoved herself into the apartment. "I'm ready to listen."

Carmilla let out a frustrated cry, closing the door behind them.

"We don't need to go there. There's no point-" Carmilla argued.

"Maybe I just want to know," Laura glared, stepping close to Carmilla. Carmilla locked eyes with Laura in an intense gaze.

"Why do you think, Laura?" Carmilla muttered.

"I want to hear you say it," Laura urged. Carmilla groaned, tangling her hands in her hair and turning away.

"I don't want to do this! I can't. I have no right," Carmilla spat, looking back at Laura. "Like I said, you can do whatever who whoever you want! Don't let me stop you."

"But you don't want me to," Laura countered. Carmilla's arms flopped to her sides.

"No," Carmilla admitted.

" _Why_?" Laura took a step forward. "I'm really curious."

"Ugh," Carmilla rubbed her hands over her face roughly. Suddenly, she froze. Her hands lowered. "You know what I'm curious about?"

"What?" Laura questioned.

"Why you freaked out about me maybe sleeping with someone. What was with that, Laura? And don't say organ harvester," Carmilla glowered. Laura glowered right back.

"We're not talking about me," Laura huffed.

"The hell we aren't," Carmilla snapped. "I think we're talking about the both of us."

"I just want to know what your problem is," Laura said scathingly. "You see, I'm still wondering why you weren't in any rush to get a divorce like I was."

"Why are you so curious?" Carmilla interrogated. "Would knowing solve _anything_?"

"It would at least confirm something!" Laura stated.

"And what's that?" Carmilla rolled her eyes.

"What a horrible person you are," Laura declared. Carmilla wailed in frustration, throwing up her hands.

"Oh my _god_!" Carmilla cried. "I thought we were past this. You are so _stubborn_!"

" _I'm_ stubborn? What about you? You won't admit one small thing to me," Laura argued.

"And you won't admit anything to me! You just dance around the issue, turning it back on everyone else who _isn't_ you. You haven't changed since university," Carmilla growled. Laura gasped in offense.

"And what about _you!_ You claim _you've_ changed but here you are. Still _running away_ from your problems, Carm?" Laura threw at her.

"Don't call me that."

"What?"

"Don't call me that," Carmilla repeated louder. "If I don't get to call you by your nicknames then you don't get to call me by mine. I can't handle that."

Laura shook her head.

"Well then maybe we can come up with new ones! Maybe… pig headed?" Laura stated.

"Well I know the perfect one for you. Stubborn," Carmilla spat, taking a step closer. Laura took a step closer as well. She wasn't backing down.

"Condescending."

"Prissy."

They were face to face.

"Obnoxious."

"Nosy."

Laura felt so hot. The room was so hot. She could feel the heat radiating off Carmilla as well.

"Pompous."

"Naïve."

Laura could remember that body lying on her in the park.

"Debutant."

"Sheltered."

All hot.

"Satan."

"Princess."

All sweaty.

"Asshole."

"Self righteous."

" _Jerkface_."

" _Childish_."

They were on each other, hungry lips mashing together. Their hands roughly grasped at one another, Laura's hands on Carmilla's jacket and Carmilla's hands in Laura's hair. Their tongues slipped into the other's mouths, bodies flush, trying to absorb each other completely.

Laura pushed Carmilla back, slamming her into the fridge. The sounds of tumbling food resounded from within. Neither stopped.

Laura's hips pushed aggressively into Carmilla's. Carmilla moaned, biting down on Laura's lip.

Their jackets and shirts were already half off, Laura's fingers digging into the skin of Carmilla's torso. They left sharp, red scratches across her stomach. Carmilla moaned again.

Carmilla grabbed Laura's hands, forcing her back and pressing her against the counter. Laura's back bruised against the granite, and Laura suppressed any cry by biting down on Carmilla's neck. Hard.

That was going to leave a mark.

Carmilla quickly tugged Laura's shirt off, Laura dealing with her bra all on her own. She reached over then, scratching up Carmilla's back to unhook her bra. They took off her shirt and bra all in one fell swoop.

They didn't pause to look at each other, to lock eyes, to realize what was happening.

No time to think.

Just feel.

Laura's hands dug at Carmilla's ribs while she started biting down around Carmilla's chest, leaving teeth marks in her wake. They were going to sting. Laura wanted to leave her mark.

She reached one of Carmilla's nipples and took it between her teeth, applying pressure, making Carmilla moan out and buck her hips into Laura's, bruising Laura's lower back once again.

Laura sucked Carmilla's nipple into her mouth, her tongue sliding against it, keeping the pressure high, making Carmilla feel every sensation.

Making her never want another girl's hands on her again.

Carmilla moved her own hand between them, slipping her hand underneath Laura's waistband, causing Laura to finally alleviate the pressure on Carmilla's nipple as she gasped at Carmilla's fingers teasing at the top of where Laura was now aching to be touched.

"F-Fuck," Laura stammered, her hips bucking, trying to get the release of Carmilla's touch, but Carmilla was holding it back, putting Laura through torture. Laura growled, looking up at Carmilla and capturing her lips in another rough kiss. She started yanking Carmilla's leather pants down.

If Carmilla wasn't going to touch her, she was going to touch Carmilla.

She took the fabric in her hands, peeling it down along with any other fabrics, Laura moving down with the movement and taking the opportunity to drag her tongue down Carmilla's stomach until she was eye level with Carmilla's hips.

Carmilla shuddered.

Laura made her teeth get back to work, biting at Carmilla's thighs. Carmilla moaned, her legs shaking as her legs spread further to give Laura access.

This asshole. She'd never stay standing at this rate.

Laura stood up, looking at Carmilla's flushed faced, and pushed her back.

Their lips reattached as Laura waddled them into the bedroom, making sure to make Carmilla moan at every step when she rubbed her thigh against Carmilla's sensitive flesh.

As soon as they were close, Laura shoved Carmilla on the bed and grasped at her hips, fingers curling at the crease at the base of Carmilla's hips. She yanked Carmilla forward, still feeling the heat radiating off her.

"Jesus, Laura," Carmilla groaned, lifting her hips up for Laura, now the one begging for release.

"Don't talk," Laura warned, her voice husky. "I only want to hear you moan."

Carmilla gave Laura what she wanted, her voice rough as it rang out and Laura's tongue slid slowly over Carmilla's needy centre, already wet and waiting for Laura's intrusion.

Laura held firm at Carmilla's hips, not letting Carmilla squirm too much. She took in the taste of Carmilla, giving her clit the same sort of treatment she had to Carmilla's nipple earlier, making her tremble. Devouring her.

Nobody would ever fuck Carmilla like this.

Not like Laura knew how.

No one.

Eventually Carmilla couldn't take it anymore, her hips bucking against Laura's greedy mouth. Laura felt Carmilla's legs tense beside her, shaking, and the flesh against her lips pulsing ever so slightly.

Laura sustained her as much as possible, before finally Carmilla collapsed, recoiling from Laura, unable to take the intensity any longer. She laid on her back, gasping, hands in her hair and dazed eyes staring at the ceiling.

Laura regarded the sight before her.

What had she just done?

Before she could think on it any further, Carmilla reached up and yanked Laura onto the bed, pushing Laura underneath her. Laura didn't fight it. She was still aching to be touched from before.

No time to think.

Carmilla simply reached under Laura's waistband again, her fingers teasing. Laura groaned looking at the smug smirk on Carmilla's face. She was about to protest, but all that came out was a moan when Carmilla slipped her hand over Laura's heat.

"You want me?" Carmilla growled.

"Yes," Laura gasped. Carmilla growled again, grasping at the back of Laura's neck and slipping a finger into Laura's waiting flesh.

"Tell me you want me," Carmilla demanded. Laura's mouth popped open, eyes shut tight as she took in the feeling of Carmilla inside of her.

"I want you. I want you," Laura panted, rolling her hips, begging Carmilla to move. Carmilla paused only a moment, the air tense around them.

Laura didn't even register Carmilla removing her pants.

Two fingers slid back into Laura this time, and Carmilla's lips found Laura's own nipple, stimulating that as well. It made Laura tense, wanting Carmilla to never stop touching her, wanting to keep her hand where it was forever.

She never wanted anybody but Carmilla touching her.

Laura gasped loudly, Carmilla hitting too many right spots inside of her. It was like muscle memory. It was like Carmilla's fingers had never left her. Laura was so far gone. It had been too long since she'd be treated like this – at least in a way that wasn't inhibited by a drunken haze.

She was close.

Carmilla's mouth left Laura's breast then, feeling Laura start to tighten around her. She dipped her head down, putting her mouth to use somewhere else.

Laura couldn't feel anything but what Carmilla was doing anymore. Her head filled with fog. It was too much to handle.

"Ugh, Carmilla!" Laura cried, and the own sound of her moaning Carmilla's name is what drove her over the edge.

Everything was so much at once. And then it was nothing at all. It was just pure bliss. Every muscle in her body felt pushed beyond its limits, and she could finally relax.

The fog started to dissipate.

There was time to think again.

What did they just _do_?

Laura breathed heavily, staring at the ceiling and vaguely registering Carmilla's movements and she crawled up and laid down beside Laura. They both stared at the ceiling then, the atmosphere still heavy with their passionate arousal.

"So if it wasn't clear, I'm still in love with you," Carmilla muttered.

Laura closed her eyes, swallowing a lump in her throat. She said it.

"That's not fair," Laura whispered.

Air rushed through Carmilla's lungs as she breathed out deeply, letting a pause hang between them for the moment.

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kill Bill Siren*
> 
> I promise the wait for the next chapter won't be so lengthy.


	4. Heart of Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See I TOLD you it wouldn't take as long! This chapter is a little bit shorter, but that's okay as it's also a bit heavy, and heavy things should be taken in small doses. This is your ANGST warning. But don't worry, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Laura didn't feel angry anymore.

She just felt… nothing.

Numb.

Carmilla sat up in the bed while Laura slipped off the mattress, silently and slowly wandering to gather her clothes and pull them back on.

"Laura… I'm sorry," Carmilla croaked. There was those puffy red eyes of her again.

Laura paused, half turning herself toward Carmilla.

"For what?" Laura asked. Her tone was almost monotonous. "For sleeping with me? For loving me?"

Carmilla swallowed hard, seeming to be trying to calculate her words.

"For all of it," Carmilla mumbled. Laura blinked slowly, then turned back to continue her mission to retrieve clothes.

"Then you have nothing to be sorry for," Laura muttered, heading out into the kitchen to grab her shirt and bra. "You can't apologize for how you feel, and I wanted to have sex. Nothing you can do about that."

"I said _all_ of it, Laura," Carmilla clarified, appearing in the doorway. "I feel like I breached something. I have no right to do what I just did… to say what I just did. But I feel there's no denying it anymore. I breached something."

Laura finally pulled on her shirt, and she stood, staring at the fridge. She stayed silent.

She hoped they hadn't made too much of a mess in the fridge.

"Laura?" Carmilla tried to rouse Laura from her trance. Laura looked back at Carmilla.

"It doesn't matter," Laura said. Carmilla took a breath, arms folded across her chest, and she took a step forward.

"Of course it does. It matters more than anything," Carmilla whispered. "We can't ignore this anymore."

Laura sighed, closing her eyes. She just didn't have the energy.

"Carmilla, I'm tired. I just want to go home," Laura requested.

Something about the lack of bite behind any of Laura's words seemed to unsettle Carmilla.

"Okay," Carmilla nodded.

"I'll see you whenever," Laura muttered, heading toward the door.

"Sure," Carmilla's voice was soft.

Laura still felt nothing as she exited through the door.

No regret.

No malice.

Nothing.

* * *

Laura remembered once she was on a weird part of the internet. She had journeyed down a Wikipedia hole and ended up on a page about clams. Because why not.

Clam reproduction had never been something she thought on. Clams were just a thing that existed. Sometimes, they were delicious in chowders. Who cares where they came from.

Turns out, as Wikipedia had once informed her, that clams did not just pop into the world, littering sea beds with their hardened exteriors. They were born, soft and vulnerable, and then when they were ready, they'd form their shells around themselves. Armour, to protect from the dangers of the world. To make it easier to survive.

Laura's heart felt like a clam.

The days following sleeping with Carmilla, again, sober, Laura's emotions were bubbling on the surface. There existed a dull ache in her chest. It felt heavy. It felt tight. Laura didn't like it, so she focused on her heart imagining an exoskeleton lining the outside, keeping it from danger. Keeping it from her emotions. And she kept it at bay. She kept herself from feeling it. Feeling anything.

Laura finally understood the meaning of the term "calloused".

Lilita had been pleased with their so-called date, which may have turned out to be an actual date. The park and café pictures got decent coverage, and any articles claiming their marriage was a ploy earlier were now back to praising their love.

"Love".

Carmilla's love, at the very least.

Laura's chest panged at the thought.

Still in love with her? What did that even mean? Still?

That implied she never stopped.

And that couldn't be true.

It couldn't be.

Laura's chest ached again, and she sucked in a wavering breath as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling. Something rippled in the corners of her mind, threatening to escape. Something she didn't want to think about.

She quickly hardened her heart again. Visualizing that clam heart.

At least she could find some comfort in the idea of her heart eventually being made into a pearl from the pressure.

Or some bullshit like that.

"Honey?" Laura's dad's voice sounded from outside Laura's door.

"Yeah, dad?" Laura didn't peel her eyes away from her ceiling.

"I have hot cocoa for you. Whipped cream and sprinkles and everything," he hollered.

Laura felt nothing.

"No thanks," Laura mumbled.

"No thanks?" came her dad's incredulous voice.

"I just don't feel like it," Laura sighed.

"You haven't felt like it the last two nights either. Pumpkin, what's wrong?" the door handle jiggled. "Let me in!"

"I'm fine, dad. Just tired," Laura replied.

"You've been awful tired lately. It seems all you do is get up, go to work, get home and lock yourself in for the night," he argued. "Last night I told you there was a Firefly marathon on TV and you didn't even poke your head out!"

"There wasn't a marathon, dad, I would know," Laura retorted.

" _Okay_ , Miss journalist. My point still stands. You haven't acted like this since… since…" his voice trailed off. "This is about Carmilla, isn't it?"

"Dad, just drop it," Laura huffed.

"I certainly will not!" he exclaimed. "You promised this wouldn't happen again and _look_! In fact, she promised! What's her phone number? I'm going to give that young lady the dad lecture of her _life-_ "

"Dad… leave Carmilla alone. She did nothing wrong this time," Laura mumbled, draping an arm over her eyes.

"Well, I don't like it. This whole situation seems to be taking it out of you. Just how much longer do you have to do it?" he asked.

"I don't know. We're doing an event tomorrow," Laura sighed.

"And you're okay with this?" he continued to interrogate.

"Sure," Laura replied.

"Well, I'm not. I'm going to face that Lilita woman and shut her right down for taking advantage of my baby! I work for the government!" he declared.

"Dad, you do building maintenance. You don't work for the FBI," Laura huffed.

"Well you can bet your sweet bippy that I'll make sure the structural integrity of her fancy skyscraper won't be very secure," he threatened.

"Just let me handle it. I'm fine," Laura assured.

"You keep saying that-"

"Dad, please. Just… let me see this through," Laura breathed. He was silent on the other side of the door for a moment.

"Can I at least give you hot cocoa?" he requested. Laura removed her arm, staring at the ceiling again.

He was just trying to be a dad.

"Yeah," Laura relented, rolling out of bed and going to the door. She opened it to see her dad looking very worried. Laura tried to force a smile. "Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything else, Pumpkin," he urged.

"I will," Laura nodded, taking the mug.

Her dad shuffled away and she closed the door. Laura slowly went back to her bed, placing the mug on her nightstand. She probably wasn't going to touch it again. She wasn't in the mood for something sweet.

Laura Hollis, not in the mood for something sweet.

Her dad was right. She had somehow spiraled back into this place again. She thought she had moved past it, that she had healed, that she could move on. Then suddenly Carmilla appeared again, and Laura had been forced around her, and…

Maybe her heart had always been a clam. Maybe it had always been hardened, protecting itself. Maybe it was just now trying to set itself free.

The thought terrified Laura. If there was one emotion she could feel right now, it was that. Fear.

Was she stuck in this rut? Would she ever climb out again? Did she ever?

Laura was starting to wonder if she ever had.

What would it be like facing Carmilla again? What would she say? Did she care? Did it matter anymore? It didn't feel like it did, but it felt like it should. That was something that scared Laura.

And why… why had she slept with Carmilla? She couldn't blame it on the alcohol anymore. She had wanted Carmilla.

She wanted her so bad.

Laura felt hot just thinking about it.

Maybe Laura had just been aroused. Maybe Carmilla was convenient. It was the heat of the moment, they were both ready. Both willing.

Both… enthusiastic.

When it had started, Laura was just mad. She wanted to _hurt_ Carmilla. Inflict pain. As if some way of getting back at her. But that just turned into wanting to mark Carmilla, to make her Laura's, to never wanting to stop.

It really made Laura feel hot.

That had to be all it was, right? Arousal. The convenience.

It couldn't have been about Carmilla. There was the familiarity, sure. Laura knew just how to please Carmilla, even after all that time. And Carmilla… Carmilla…

Laura sucked in a deep breath, her hand toying with the line of her waistband.

She couldn't. She was confused enough as it was. She couldn't…

But it was about arousal. It was about convenience.

It wasn't more than that.

Maybe it'd be nice to feel something.

Laura bit her lip, slipping her hand beneath her waistband, shuddering as she brushed herself, thinking of Carmilla's tongue, the way it had done the same.

God, that had been so good.

But she didn't need Carmilla to get off. It wasn't about Carmilla. It wasn't.

Laura started to move her fingers in tight circles, her hips rolling, her mind wandering.

She felt nothing. It was frustrating. Her mind couldn't focus.

Suddenly, it was Carmilla again. The memory of Carmilla between her legs, her fingers pumping inside Laura.

Laura's pleasure spiked. Fuck, it was so good. Carmilla was just so good.

She thought of being between Carmilla's legs, the taste of Carmilla on her tongue, the feel of Carmilla's warmth. Carmilla everywhere. It drove Laura crazy.

Fuck it felt too good.

The image of Carmilla above her, aroused, breathing heavy, struggling to keep composed. Being inside Carmilla. Carmilla's hands running over Laura's chest. Her body draped over Carmilla. Carmilla shaking, coming, crying out Laura's name.

Carmilla.

_Carmilla._

_CARMILLA._

Laura's body tensed, riding out the spasms, trying to keep a rhythm going, meanwhile the only thing filling her head is the image of Carmilla.

And then, she collapsed.

Out of breath. Dazed. Alone, staring at the ceiling.

Maybe it was about Carmilla.

Whatever that meant.

At least she had felt something.

* * *

"I'm not sure why you don't seem more excited, Miss Hollis. This should be right up your alley," Lilita clicked her tongue, surveying the bustling room of people before them. "A press conference for the press, as we call it. This is really your chance to make your mark. You must have so many heroes just in this room alone."

"I guess so," Laura muttered. Lilita raised an eyebrow and Carmilla stared at Laura with concern, as she had been doing since they met up for this conference. Laura's energy levels hadn't picked up at all.

Carmilla seemed to hug herself, her face wracked with a mixture of guilt and worry. Laura tried to ignore it. Lilita, on the other hand, just seemed annoyed with Laura's demeanor. Laura ignored that, too.

"So as the leading innovator in media outreach, I of course will be speaking. And all the better to have my leading ladies here as an example. And you _will_ be an example, correct? I didn't send you both on that date for nothing?" Lilita continued.

If Laura hadn't been clamping down on her feelings so intensely, she might've flinched at the mention of the date. Instead, without missing a beat, Laura stepped over to Carmilla and put an arm around Carmilla's waist. Carmilla stiffened at the touch.

"You'll have nothing to worry about from us," Laura assured, though her tone still monotonous. Lilita's eyes narrowed, but she nodded.

"Hmm, I'll take your lack of any scathing remarks as a sign you've finally learned to respect your superiors. Now, same as last time. Mingle about. Make yourselves known. Try not to cause a scene," Lilita huffed stalking away. Carmilla instantly slipped out of Laura's hold.

"My Mother's right, you know. It's not like you to not fight with her on everything," Carmilla's eyes ran over Laura, trying to decode her. "None of this… seems like you."

"I'm fine," Laura stated. She was starting to feel like a broken record. "Let's just play our roles."

Carmilla's brow furrowed.

"Laura, I-"

Before she could finish, a man with a boisterous grin on his face approached them.

Laura knew who he was right away. He was an editor for a bigtime news corporation. Think "Wall Street Journal" huge. Any other mood, and Laura would've been ecstatic.

She slapped on a smile anyway.

"Carmilla," he addressed her, lifting her hand to give the back of it a kiss like some sort of feudal lord. "It's been ages."

"Last time I saw you, you were in a rather heated argument with my Mother," Carmilla noted with a polite smile. The man chuckled.

"Oh, you know. It's all just business. I like to work closely with Ms. Morgan but often times she does feel more like competition than anything," he sighed, and then turned his attention to Laura. "And you must be…"

Carmilla put her hand tentatively on the small of Laura's back. Laura quickly shoved down any rumblings of feelings the action might've caused.

"This is my wife, Laura. Laura Hollis," Carmilla introduced. He raised his eyebrow.

"Hollis? Not Karnstein?" he questioned.

"My family name has a lot of history and means a lot to me, so I decided to keep it," Laura announced, reciting the line she practiced.

"Ah, well, pleased to see you're keeping up the family tradition of having last names all over the place," he smiled. "Charmed to meet you. I'm-"

"J.P. Armitage," Laura finished without missing a beat. J.P. looked surprised and impressed.

"Oh, so you know?" J.P. inquired.

"Laura is actually in journalism herself," Carmilla jumped in. "She has a passion for it that I haven't seen in anyone, not in all my years of hanging around my Mother. It's part of what drew me to her."

Laura's eyes crinkled. What was Carmilla doing? But J.P. seemed interested.

"Really? Fascinating. Any big stories of yours you could share?" J.P. asked. Laura's mouth opened uselessly. She had nothing. She was just a coffee fetcher.

"Well I happen to know exclusively from my father-in-law about how when she was just a child, she busted her school's vice president for stealing from the candygram fund," Carmilla relayed.

What? Her dad had told Carmilla that years ago, when they had been dating. She still remembered?

Maybe it did make sense for Carmilla to still be in love with her. But it didn't make sense for it to make sense.

Laura's brain hurt.

"That's brilliant!" J.P. let out a bellowing laugh, clapping his hands together. "Starting young. I can see the passion you were referring too. And a nose for justice. I like that."

Laura didn't feel too passionate at that moment.

"I try to do what I can, sir. I believe it's the job of journalists to fight injustices where others can't and give a voice to those who don't have one," Laura stated. That was her usual mantra after all.

"I like you, Mrs. Hollis. You really found a keeper, didn't you?" J.P. nudged Carmilla.

"Yeah, I did," Carmilla's smile was soft yet strained. J.P. checked his watch.

"Well, plenty more people to meet. But Mrs. Hollis, we should keep in touch. I'd quite like to hear about that fantastical family history of yours some day," J.P. grinned.

"I'd love to," Laura nodded.

A connection.

He took a bow and went off into the crowd. Laura immediately turned to Carmilla, grabbing her wrist and pulling her close so she could whisper.

"What was that all about?" Laura questioned. Carmilla let out a sigh.

"How have things been at work?" Carmilla retorted with her own question. Laura blinked.

"Fine," Laura said. Broken record.

"Any change in how they treat you there?" Carmilla continued.

"I'd say they whisper behind my back a bit more, but otherwise, no," Laura admitted.

"See, it's not enough to be tied to me legally. These people need to know what you're capable so you can get an opportunity – anywhere better than where you're stuck currently. They don't appreciate you there," Carmilla huffed. Laura removed her hand.

"You don't need to help me," Laura muttered.

"Laura… it's the least I can do. If there's one this you get out of this shithole of a situation, let it be a job in the field you love. Please. I want that for you," Carmilla pleaded.

Laura turned away, not being able to handle the look on Carmilla's face. Normally Laura would've argued to defend her own integrity, but she didn't care enough to fight. The look on Carmilla's face made her want to care.

"Do what you want," Laura stated.

"…Okay," Carmilla sighed.

She kept that up all night, from person to person, both big names and small. Carmilla made Laura sound like some sort of journalism goddess, even with no experience. It was clear Carmilla inherited some of her mom's business sense after all.

Laura rarely even had to say anything, which was just fine with her.

She found it harder and harder to watch Carmilla, though. Through every sales pitch, Carmilla expressed her thoughts about Laura in such a flattering light, there was a raw passion about it. Sometimes, there were even tears in her eyes. No one would question Carmilla's love for Laura after that night.

Not even Laura.

But it still made no sense.

Instead, Laura focused on her growing number of contact numbers. At least that was exciting, wasn't it?

"Our job as media moguls is to bring stories worth telling to the public. If you need to resort to a clickbait title in order to have eyes on your work, clearly your content isn't compelling enough in the first place," Lilita addressed the crowd, earning a chuckle from a number of them.

She had started her panel, and she made sure to have Laura and Carmilla standing near where everyone could see them. It surprised Laura just how much more personable Lilita could be as soon as she had an audience. Still an intimidating presence, but far more approachable. Laura supposed that's part of what made her so good at what she did.

"My Mother practically invented clickbait," Carmilla muttered under her breath. "Now that it's being called out as a cheap tactic, she's condemning it. Typical."

"She's evolving with the times, I guess. Staying on top of the game," Laura noted.

"Yeah, by crushing everyone else underneath her," Carmilla grumbled.

They stood there in silence, listening to Lilita subtly putting down every corporation that wasn't hers.

It was hard to listen to, so Laura decided to distract herself.

"Thanks for tonight, for talking me up," Laura whispered.

"Like I said, least I could do. You don't need to thank me," Carmilla shrugged.

"It was still nice of you. But sure, what are friends for, right?" Laura mused.

Carmilla looked over at her. "You still want to be friends?"

Laura hadn't really thought about it. "Sure, why not?"

Carmilla didn't give a response for a long beat.

"I don't think we should," she said, finally.

Laura whipped her head towards Carmilla.

" _What_?" Laura exclaimed a little too loudly, but everyone seemed too engrossed in Lilita's speech.

"I don't know. I think it's just… too complicated," Carmilla shook her head. "I think it's clear that, with my admission… I just don't think it wise to keep on pretending that there's nothing between us. So, after this is over-"

"Stop," Laura said suddenly.

She felt a crack start to form in her shell.

"Laura," Carmilla sighed.

"No, don't. You don't get to do this. Not again," Laura seethed. Another crack in the shell around her heart. She grabbed Carmilla's wrist again. "We're talking. _Now_."

Carmilla looked shocked as Laura dragged her away, but she didn't protest. Laura was sure Lilita would be pissed at them for leaving, but Laura didn't care what Lilita thought even on a good day.

She stalked through the building, looking for somewhere private, somewhere they wouldn't be interrupted. Luckily, most of the attendees were at Lilita's panel. They finally found solace in the confines of an empty stairwell.

Laura spun around, tears in her eyes, the walls she built up already crumbling.

Something about the idea of not seeing Carmilla again after this, of losing touch again, it made her panic. It was familiar to the feeling she remembered the night of the wedding, when she so desperately wanted to keep Carmilla around.

So desperately, she married her.

"So, is this your game, now? You tell a girl you're still in love with her and then you, what decide to leave?" Laura accused. "Typical."

Carmilla let out a huff, running her fingers through her hair.

"This isn't the same, Laura," Carmilla insisted.

"The hell it isn't," Laura scoffed. "Does this sound familiar? Flash back to four years ago-"

"Laura-"

"I come home from class one day with the student apartment I'm sharing with my _girlfriend-_ "

"Laura, please-"

"And I start to notice, hey, this apartment seems a _lot_ more empty than usual-"

"I-"

"And then I realize, _where did all of Carmilla's stuff go?_ So I start running around, worrying my face off, and then I find the note," Laura paused, fixing Carmilla with an intense stare.

Carmilla fell silent.

"What had it said? I can't do this anymore, I'm sorry? _I can't do this anymore, I'm sorry_?!" Laura yelled. Carmilla bit her lip, nodding slowly.

"You have every right to be upset," Carmilla mumbled.

" **You're damn right I do** ," Laura glowered. "I called you so many times. I didn't know what was happening. I was worried you were going to hurt yourself!"

Carmilla bowed her head, still staying silent. A tear ran down her cheek.

"And then I finally got a hold of you, _days later_ , through another _fucking_ note in the mail. Explaining how you just didn't want to be in a relationship anymore. That it was over. You were done," Laura's lip quivered. "So you're going to have to explain to me how this is different."

Carmilla rested her hand against the concrete wall, making a fist and pressing into it. Her knuckles turned white.

"We're not in a relationship. We're not even really married. We wouldn't be now if we hadn't been roped up in my Mother's game," Carmilla stated, her voice steady.

"So that makes it better?" Laura questioned, incredulous. "You were fine with friendship before."

"I was never fine with friendship," Carmilla looked at Laura darkly. "I knew I had lost you all those years ago so I figured if I could have you in any form at all, I'd take it. But then we slept together, and now it's just… It's too much for me."

"Because you're in love with me?" Laura huffed. Carmilla just nodded and Laura shook her head. "So are you going to tell me that's why you left with no warning or explanation four years ago?"

" _Yes_ ," Carmilla breathed. "But for a different reason. Back then I was protecting you, now I'm protecting myself."

"Protecting me? From what?" Laura scoffed.

"From myself," Carmilla stated. Laura blinked at her.

"That's… such bullshit," Laura said.

"You think I don't know what I did was wrong? I know, Laura," Carmilla muttered. "I regret every day how I ended things. I never should've ended things that way. It was horrible, and no amount of apologies will ever fix it, but regardless I am so, deeply sorry."

"You said you regret how you ended things, not that you ended things," Laura pointed out. "So you don't regret breaking up."

"No," Carmilla admitted.

"Yet you say you're still in love with me," Laura continued. Carmilla bit her lip.

"I never stopped. Not for a moment," Carmilla expressed. Laura closed her eyes, feeling the last of her shell crumble.

"Then why the _hell_ did you end things?" Laura demanded. "To _protect me from you_?"

" _Yes_ ," Carmilla confirmed. "Laura, the fact I left you the way that I did shows _just how much_ I truly couldn't handle a relationship at that time. And I loved you too much. I couldn't subject you to that anymore."

"And I loved you too!" Laura yelled. "You could've stayed! We could've talked through it!"

" **I know,** " Carmilla growled.

"But you didn't," Laura whispered. Carmilla hung her head.

"I swear I've grown up since then," Carmilla muttered. "I'm not saying that to win you over. But you should know, that Carmilla doesn't exist anymore. I would _never_ leave you hanging without warning like that again."

Tears pooled in Laura's eyes, her voice losing all fight.

"It doesn't change anything," Laura's voice quivered. "You can't imagine how you hurt me. And then when I thought I moved on, I woke up next to you, married to you. How the fuck am I supposed to cope with that?"

"When I woke up married to you, I thought the universe was playing a cruel trick on me, to finally make me pay for what I did to you. And I deserved it. Every bit of comeuppance. That's why I accepted it so easily, why I went with everything you said," Carmilla blinked away tears. "I can never make up for what I did to you. That's why we can't be friends. Because I'll never stop loving you. And you'll never stop hating me."

"What if I don't hate you," Laura breathed. Carmilla stared at her.

"You have every reason to," Carmilla stated.

"But what if I _can't_ ," Laura sobbed, tears fully streaming down her face. "Carmilla, I loved you so much. So viscerally. You were like the axis my world turned on. And then you were just _gone_."

"I know," Carmilla mumbled.

"But I still couldn't _hate_ you," Laura admitted, and Carmilla's eyes widened. "But I couldn't cope with you being _gone_ either."

"Laura…" Carmilla breathed. Laura's emotions were reaching their peak. Every shell she had built up from four years ago, it had disappeared.

"There came a point where I begged the universe or God or whatever to have my body reject you, like an organ transplant that refused to mesh with the rest of my anatomy. Instead it clung to you like a missing piece that I needed to continue living. But at the same time, you made it harder to breathe, harder to eat, harder to sleep, harder to feel like the girl I was before you clawed your way into my system and set up your home – only to leave the space empty and bare and lifeless to the point where it felt like I was only living off the life support you left behind. But really, it was no life at all."

Laura had to clutch onto the stair railing, too overcome with all these thoughts and feelings hitting her at once. She took a deep breath, continuing her tirade.

"And I felt that void. I felt it because no matter how much I wanted to, my body, my mind, my heart, just couldn't reject you. So I did the only thing I could. I shoved the memory of you far down, locked away from my feelings and closed myself off from everything that made me crave you like a drug addict looking for their next hit. I convinced myself you were bad for me, that you were this awful presence that turned my insides rotten and hollow instead of this vibrant light that lifted me toward a better version of myself. I forced myself to reject you."

Laura took another shaky breath, trying to keep any sense of composure through the tears. Tears were running down Carmilla's cheeks as well as she stood there stiffly, letting every word Laura spoke hit her.

"I… I'm sorry," Carmilla croaked.

"You know what the worst part is?" Laura wheezed. "It wasn't too hard to think negatively of you, after the way you left. Yet somehow, deep down and hidden, I still crave you."

"I never imagined I would do this to you. I never thought that anyone could feel for me that much," Carmilla breathed.

"Of course not. You didn't think about what I wanted. Just what you wanted," Laura muttered. She felt weak and exhausted. Parts of her were trying to build up a shell around her heart again, but it was too late. "I'm going to talk to your mother tomorrow. Tell her to call all this off. You were right, it's too complicated. Maybe we should both protect ourselves from each other."

Carmilla nodded slowly, thought every part of her was trembling. "If that's what's best for you," she whispered.

"Because you're right," Laura mumbled. "I have every reason to hate you."

* * *

Laura couldn't just go home after the conference. She couldn't sit and stew in her thoughts. Now that they were all out there, now that she couldn't ignore them.

She had to go for a walk. To feel the sting of the crisp air against her face, the distraction of the stimulation of a bustling city. It was late, her dad would be having an aneurysm if he new she was walking the city alone at night.

But she needed a walk.

Laura walked for what felt like hours, the scenery changing around her. She went by busy sidewalks, through parks, under bridges, through tunnels, past the graffiti…

The graffiti?

Laura let out a groan. Of course her feet had carried her there.

The Freedom Tunnel.

Laura had to admit, there was a rustic beauty to the tunnel. She understood Carmilla's draw to it. All dark and gloomy with splashes of beauty.

Just like Carmilla.

Laura's heart squeezed tight. There was just too much pain she was feeling at once. She couldn't deny the source of her actions around Carmilla. Now that she could feel it.

Maybe Carmilla wasn't the only one who never stopped loving.

But Carmilla was too much of a source of pain. She would never move past it as long as Carmilla was around. She had to let go.

The Freedom Tunnel was a bad place to end up. It was bringing up too much. Laura had to leave.

As Laura turned on her heel to head back, something caught her eye on the wall. It was small, faded, barely noticeable, but Laura was drawn to it like a moth to a lamp.

She approached it, making out the smudged, white curves of the remnants of a white marker, scrawling a profound sentence just under a stylized piece of profanity.

Laura recognized the quote. Hell, she recognized the writing.

"One's mind once stretched by new experience may never regain its original dimensions".

* * *

It was past midnight by that point, but Laura didn't care. She was pounding on Carmilla's door, desperate for her to be heard.

Laura worried for a moment that she wasn't there, that she had already flown back to Nevada.

Finally, the door swung open and Carmilla stood there, stunned puffy eyes and all. Laura just felt relieved to see her, she would've started crying had she not been already.

"Laura? What…?" Carmilla gaped. Laura shook her head, the tears not stopping.

"I just wish I could hate you," Laura croaked. "Why can't I hate you?"

Laura stumbled forward and Carmilla caught her just in time. Laura clung to Carmilla, sobbing into her chest, letting herself sink into Carmilla's embrace.

Carmilla didn't let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a pet, give them a hug today. If you don't have a pet, a stuffed animal will do just fine. If all else fails, hug a mirror. Self-love is a beautiful thing, my dudes. 
> 
> (I'm sick, please ignore me)


	5. Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, remember how I mentioned I was sick in the last chapter? Yeah, that delayed this chapter a fair bit. But now I'm all better and with a brand new chapter to share! This one is much lighter to make up for the angst-fest of last chapter. Enjoy!

Laura couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. Which made no sense, as she still felt exhausted. Emotionally. Physically.

But damn, did she ever feel warm and comfy as her brain formed to consciousness.

Her brain still felt a little fuzzy, but she tried to revel in the comfort. Nothing like waking up with a warm body sidled up next to you.

Laura's eyes popped open at the thought, and she was met with the close up of Carmilla's collarbone in her face. Or, more of Laura's face buried in Carmilla's collarbone.

That's right. She had fallen asleep like that.

She had cried all night, from the moment she fell into Carmilla's arms until the moment she fell asleep. Carmilla had held her the whole time. Of course they had eventually fallen asleep like that, after Carmilla had gently led the both of them to her bed, to be curled up in blankets.

Normally, Laura might've been mortified at their position.

But at that moment, she was just glad Carmilla was still there.

She had been a mess. Her head still hurt a bit, her eyes still felt itchy, she even felt congested.

What a catch.

Yet Carmilla was still there. After everything. After Laura had yelled at her.

She was still there.

The thought just made Laura clutch at Carmilla's shirt and snuggle in closer.

"Laura?"

Carmilla's soft and sleepy voice vibrated next to Laura's ear. Laura should've known Carmilla was awake. Her breathing wasn't the same as it was when she'd be asleep. Laura still remembered that.

God, she had forgotten just how in love she had been. How could she have ever forgotten that?

"Hey," Laura murmured.

"Hey," Carmilla sighed, her arms loosening around Laura. Laura took a deep breath, knowing she would have to leave the warmth and go back to reality – the reality being an awkward conversation.

Maybe if she cried uncontrollably again, they wouldn't have to have an awkward conversation. That would be helpful.

Unfortunately for Laura, she felt her days of avoiding important conversations were over.

Laura slowly slithered out of Carmilla's embrace, making a dramatic stretch. A satisfying pop sounded from somewhere in her shoulder.

"Did you sleep okay? I mean, I didn't keep you up, did I?" Laura questioned. Carmilla propped her head up on her hand, looking over Laura carefully.

"I slept okay. You?" Carmilla replied. Laura nodded slowly.

"I was… very comfy," Laura stated. A small blush coloured Carmilla's cheeks.

"Yeah, um, sorry… about…" Carmilla's eyes darted down to the mattress right in front of her, where Laura had been laying against her moments before.

"I was the one who wouldn't let go of you. _I'm_ sorry. I was a bit of a disaster," Laura groaned. Carmilla softened, her eyes searching Laura.

"How are you feeling?" Carmilla inquired. Laura blew out a breath, flopping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Laura admitted. "I don't think I've processed everything. You'd think everything would be clear now, now that I've faced everything. Maybe some helpful neon sign popping up with all the answers. But I don't know how I feel. Hungry? I don't know."

"It's a lot to think about," Carmilla whispered, bowing her head in shame. "What I did to you… the things you said…"

"Yeah. I really went off on you, huh?" Laura muttered.

"I deserved it," Carmilla said.

Laura pressed her lips together thoughtfully, finally pushing herself up into a sitting position on Carmilla's bed, her back against the headboard. She played with the seam of the sheets.

"It was something I needed to say," Laura stated. "Something you deserved to hear… a long time ago."

Carmilla nodded slowly, also propping herself up into a sitting position beside Laura.

"If I had let you tell me all that, if I had given you that closure, you probably wouldn't have been so…" Carmilla trailed off, looking like she caught herself.

"Fucked up?" Laura chuckled. "That's not _entirely_ your fault. I clearly need better coping mechanisms."

"You wouldn't have needed them if I hadn't-"

"Carm," Laura placed a hand on Carmilla's knee, and both their eyes widened. "Sorry, Carmilla. What you did was awful. I haven't decided if I'll ever forgive that Carmilla. But, I think I might be able to forgive you," Laura said earnestly. Carmilla looked over at Laura, pain in her eyes.

"You don't need to," Carmilla muttered. Laura let out a huff.

"You know, I didn't tell you how you hurt me just so you could beat yourself up for it the rest of your life," Laura scolded.

"I know. I just don't know if I can forgive that Carmilla either. And as much as I know I've changed, that will always be a part of who I am. Me hurting you that badly," Carmilla's voice got tangled up in her emotions, "it shaped me."

Laura's head hit the back of the headboard while she absorbed Carmilla's words, and the complication of it all. It was a lot. Maybe too much.

Would they ever be able to recover from it?

"Maybe we're not supposed to forgive that Carmilla," Laura mumbled. "Maybe we're just supposed to learn from her. Be better. Know better. Don't let your past rule over you, and all that."

Carmilla looked over at Laura, a small smile on her face.

"Maybe your neon signs of clarity have showed up after all," Carmilla pointed out. Laura let out a sigh.

"I really don't know what I'm saying. I just know one thing for sure," Laura started.

"And what's that?"

Laura paused, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly.

"I still don't want you to go anywhere," Laura admitted. Carmilla stared at her, blankly.

"Last night, I meant what I said. That creating distance would be good for me," Carmilla started fiddling with her hands, picking nervously at her cuticles. "Now I… I don't know."

"I meant what I said last night, too. I don't hate you," Laura stated.

"Yeah," Carmilla muttered. "That's what makes it different. At least a little bit. At least enough."

"Enough to stay?" Laura asked, her voice small.

"…Yeah. Yeah, I think so," Carmilla whispered. She ran a hand through her hair, shaking it out. "I just don't know where we go from here."

"Me neither," Laura let out a groan, sinking down into the mattress. "Ugh, why is this so complicated."

"We'll figure it out. Whatever that may mean," Carmilla sighed, pushing herself off the bed. "For now, you said you were hungry?"

"Starving," Laura pouted.

"Okay, hold on," Carmilla's brow furrowed before she headed out the bedroom door. Laura listened to the sound of opening and closing cupboards before she herself shuffled out of the bed and headed to the doorway.

"I have… a granola bar… a can of veggies… I think some leftover Chinese food from four days ago," Carmilla listed off, still looking in cupboards. Laura wrinkled her nose.

"God, you eat worse than I did in college," Laura scoffed.

"I didn't think I'd be staying very long. Grocery shopping wasn't the top of my priorities," Carmilla stated, standing up from looking under the sink. "You're right, though. None of this will do as a breakfast the morning after an emotional evening."

"Yeah, something like that calls for a lot of bacon," Laura declared.

"That settles it. I'll head down to that lesbian café and get both of us lesbian breakfast burritos or something else equally filling and gay," Carmilla announced, heading to the door. She paused a moment, holding onto her jacket. "Unless you'd rather go home. I'd understand."

"And miss _bacon_?" Laura teased, going over to Carmilla. Laura gave her a smile and touched her arm. "If you're not going anywhere, then neither am I."

"If you say so," Carmilla returned the smile. "Feel free to shower and steal my clothes."

Laura looked down at herself, still wearing what she had to the conference the night before. Her make up was most definitely smudged all over the place. Probably a good call.

"I'll be sure to pick out the most leather studded thing you have," Laura joked.

"I'm sure it'll look great on you," Carmilla smirked, heading out the door. "I'll be back."

"Okay," Laura breathed, watching Carmilla disappear behind the door. She felt like she should have hugged her, or something.

There was something that felt much lighter between them, despite all the heavy baggage spread out before them. It felt easy, like something Laura could easily click into place if she wanted to.

If only Laura knew what she wanted. "Not wanting Carmilla to go away" wasn't the most solid and fleshed out stance she had ever had. Something to build on, maybe.

"Oh, god," Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. Everything the past few days just felt like a blur.

She knew Carmilla telling her to stay there and take a shower was her polite way of saying "get yourself cleaned up like an actual functional human", but part of Laura wish she had gone with Carmilla. It'd be better than suddenly being alone with her thoughts. It was less scary and confusing with Carmilla there, like they were in this messed up situation together at the very least.

How long would that last?

Laura slowly made her way to the bathroom, peeling of her nice clothes that had been soaked in her sweat and tears and whatever else before stepping into the shower and letting the water wash over her.

Laura felt lighter, in a way. Like a weight had been lifted off her. Something she had been carrying for a long time. But at the same time, she felt anxious. She had been carrying the weight for so long, it had been like armour. Now she was exposed, like a raw nerve. She felt fragile. How would she be able to handle things now that her only defense mechanism had been shattered? She'd have to actually _face_ her problems? Like an _adult_?

Nonsense.

Maybe she should ask her dad. Maybe he'd know what to do. He was a Certified Adult.

Laura paused, her hands tangled in her wet hair.

Her _dad_.

"Ohmigosh," Laura squealed, jumping out of the shower and nearly slipping on the tile as she did so.

Where the hell was her phone? Where did she put it? It had to be _somewhere_.

Her dad had probably called the National Guard already.

She finally found her phone amongst the pile of clothes she discarded. Dead battery, of course.

Laura sought out Carmilla's phone charger in the kitchen, and quickly plugged it in. As soon as her phone was at 1%, she dialed her house.

"Please don't be out in some sort of search and rescue mission," Laura groaned as the phone kept ringing. Finally, he picked up.

"Laura? Laura, is that you?" his voice frantically questioned.

"Heey, dad. I'm fine. Sorry," Laura winced.

"Are you sure?! Say you're picking up milk if you're in danger," he requested firmly.

"What? You know, one of these days I'm going to actually call one of you people about milk and you're going to freak out," Laura huffed.

"Well _shouldn't_ I freak out? You were out all night, honey! No phone call, no nothing. I called the police this morning but apparently you need to be missing for 24 hours first. You could've been dead in a ditch by then!" he ranted, though Laura could catch the twinge of emotion in his voice.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I don't have a very good excuse. I should've called," Laura sighed.

"You're darn right. You're in big trouble, Laura Eileen Hollis," he warned. Laura winced again. He brought out the middle name. "Now would you mind telling me where you are, where it was _so_ much important that you forgot about your dear old dad?"

"I deserve that," Laura muttered. "I just spent the night at Carmilla's, that's all."

"Spent the night…? Oh, honey, you didn't," he groaned.

"Oh god! No, no it wasn't like that," Laura cringed. He didn't know about their earlier slip in the first place and Laura was going to keep it that way. "We just needed to… work through some things."

"Uh huh. What kind of things?" he questioned.

"Like, past things," Laura let out a long sigh. "Dad, I'm a little confused."

"Are you asking for my advice?" he asked.

"If that wouldn't be too much trouble," Laura pleaded. Her dad let out a huff.

"Okay, okay. I'll lecture you later. Now, tell me what you need help with, exactly?" he urged.

"Well, I," Laura bit her lip, fingers drumming on the kitchen counter top. "I think I _like_ Carmilla."

"You… _like_ Carmilla? Honey, haven't you been down this road before?" he sighed.

"Yes, and I feel I'm starting to come to terms with all that. At least, on some level. Dad, do you think people can change?" Laura questioned.

"Well, I, uh, hm, y'see, uh," he stuttered, as if trying to think himself out of it. "…Yes, I think people can change."

"I'm starting to think so, too," Laura muttered. "She's… different, dad. She's the same in so many ways but she's different in so many others."

"I don't trust her, you should know that, but maybe you know her better than I do," he pondered. "Do you think you might love her like you did?"

"Well that's the thing, right? It's been so long. I don't know where I stand anymore – where _we_ stand. I just don't know what we should do," Laura rambled. "Ugh, I'm not making any sense."

"It sounds like you have a lot to process, honey," he stated.

"Tell me about it," Laura rolled her eyes. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I can't say I've ever been in your sort of predicament. Even my vast expanse of dad wisdom doesn't really know how to navigate this for you, I'm sorry to say," he admitted. "The best I can tell you is to follow your heart."

"Follow my heart? Really? Dad, did you pick up a book on cliché advice?" Laura scoffed.

"Hey, turn up your nose all you want. Sure, it's a little idealistic, but I wouldn't be giving this advice if you weren't _you_ ," he stated. "Sweetie, you have an intuition that is _on fleek-_ "

"Don't… ever say that again."

"-and I know you have those journalistic instincts where if you follow your gut, you'll find exactly what you're looking for. It's the same with people, with Carmilla. You just have to listen to your gut," he concluded.

"Well, my gut wasn't right about her the first time," Laura mumbled.

"Hey, people can change, right?" he recalled. "That includes you. Do you really think you'd let yourself be fooled again?"

"I… I don't know," Laura pondered.

"Then maybe you should follow your heart on that, and see where you end up. Whatever you decide, I'll support you. Even if I don't like it," he promised.

"Thanks, dad," Laura rolled her eyes.

"No problem, sweetie. Also I'm still mad at you."

"And I love you, too. I'll see you at home later."

"You better," Laura's dad stated before hanging up.

Laura set her phone on the counter. Follow her heart, huh? Those seemed like such empty words. Follow your heart.

Then again, Laura had spent years bottling away her heart and feelings, never facing them. Maybe it was time Laura let her heart take the reins on something.

Whatever that meant.

Before Laura could even think about what her heart might be telling her, the door to Carmilla's apartment clicked open and Carmilla walked in, paper bag in hand.

"Hey, I-" Carmilla stopped when she looked at Laura, paper bag immediately falling to the ground. "Um. Naked. You are naked."

Laura suddenly became _very_ aware of the fact she hadn't grabbed anything to cover herself when she had rushed out of the shower.

"Oh my god!" Laura gaped, covering herself uselessly with her hands and starting to back herself up toward the bedroom. "Sorry. I am so sorry."

Carmilla managed to tear her gaze away, finding the far wall rather fascinating.

"Uh, I'm… pleased you were able to make yourself comfortable, I suppose, but did you really hate my clothes that much?" Carmilla questioned as Laura ducked into the bedroom. Laura quickly started to pick through her options, finding some black jeans, a random band T, and a flannel. Very Carmilla wardrobe.

"It's a long story. Basically I was showering and I remembered I hadn't called my dad so I panicked and… well, I guess it wasn't a long story at all," Laura rushed out.

"I can't tell if the universe loves me or hates me. Probably both," Carmilla grunted.

"Haw, haw," Laura scoffed, pulling on the rest of the clothes. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."

"I'd like some warning, at least. I need to be able to brace myself," Carmilla stated as Laura headed back out to the living room.

"You're ridiculous. Also, it's safe to look now," Laura assured her. Carmilla slowly looked up and looked Laura over. She shook her head.

"You're killing me, Hollis," Carmilla sighed, picking up the bag off the ground. "I hope you're in the mood for freshly squished breakfast burrito."

"Just the way I like it," Laura smirked.

She kind of enjoyed the way she got Carmilla all flustered. But was that something her heart was leading her to, or something her hormones wanted?

Was there a difference?

They both plopped onto the couch and Carmilla carefully peeled a mess of cheese and egg and bacon from paper wrapping. They weren't too bad, considering the damage Laura's shock had caused.

There was silence between them for a bit while they ate. They both ate slowly, as if that would prolong the period of time before they'd have to continue figuring out what to do with each other.

Carmilla finally broke the silence, halfway through her burrito.

"So," Carmilla mumbled. "Are we still friends, then?"

The age-old question.

"I don't know. Part of me wants to say yes, but," Laura bit her lip. "You said you were never okay with being just friends, and I don't know how I feel about that."

"Yeah," Carmilla sighed, taking another bite and swallowing before continuing. "I'd be lying if I said I'd be completely satisfied with that. Can the term 'friends' even apply to us? Are we more? Are we less?" Carmilla stared ahead of her, pausing. "I don't know if we can _be_ friends, Laura."

She took another bite of her burrito. The cogwheels turned in Laura's brain.

Was she right? Laura knew exes could be friends, but was it too much for them? And with how Laura herself was feeling and how Carmilla felt… Carmilla said she still _loved_ Laura. But how did Laura feel?

What was her heart telling her?

What did her heart want to know?

"Why are you still in love with me?" Laura blurted out.

"Uh-hrk-what?!" Carmilla sputtered, her eating interrupted by Laura's outburst.

Apparently, Laura's heart didn't have much tact.

"It's just, it's been four years. You left and then you never got over me? That whole time?" Laura questioned.

Carmilla took a deep breath, recovering from her brief inability to breathe and eat at the same time.

"It wasn't like that, exactly," Carmilla admitted. "I know I loved you long after I left but then you were just this guilt that weighed down my heart. But I continued living my life. I even thought I moved on, I suppose. Just every so often something would remind me of you and I'd have to take a moment to deal with how I left things. I figured that chapter of my life was over, though."

"And then?" Laura urged. Carmilla shrugged.

"I saw you that night, while we were drunk. I was wasted, I didn't know what to think. I'm still not sure what I thought. But you were just suddenly there and I… wanted to read that chapter over again," Carmilla stared down at the coffee table, her anxious habit starting to attack her cuticles again. "And then I was just with you, through all of this, and it all slowly came flooding back."

Laura nodded slowly and reached out, touching Carmilla's wrist. Carmilla immediately paused her hands, stopping her habit for a moment.

"I guess that's why I'm asking," Laura murmured. "Are you in love with me, or the memory of me?"

Carmilla looked over at Laura and their eyes caught in an intense gaze.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder if any strong feelings stem from the guilt I feel of the past, as if I'm getting some second chance," Carmilla sighed, looking back at the table. "All I know is I care about you. I want the best for you. And I want to be near you and make you smile, and-"

Carmilla stopped short, her hands shaking a bit before her fingers started digging at her nails again. This time, Laura slipped her hand into Carmilla's palm and Carmilla ceased.

It was nice, and familiar. A practised action. Something that meant a lot to both of them at one point. But Laura knew they couldn't act on memories alone.

"People can change," Laura mumbled. "You've changed, right? So have I, at least I hope I have. Heck, I've probably changed more in these past few weeks than I have my entire life."

"I can imagine," Carmilla smiled, squeezing Laura's hand.

"The point is, neither of us are the same person we were back in university, and we never got an opportunity to grow together," Laura paused, biting her lip. "I guess that's my point. That should be our priority. Getting to know each other all over again. Maybe figure out where we stand… or if I'm still worth being in love with. If I can truly forgive you."

Carmilla seemed to think for a bit, although she scoffed when Laura mentioned if she was still worth Carmilla's love four years later.

"Okay, so a fresh start. Yeah, I can do that," Carmilla agreed. "I guess this means we shouldn't be married."

"Uh, yeah. I'm still calling things off with your mom. Things are complicated enough without the both of us having to pretend we ever meant to get married," Laura sighed.

"Actually, I think we did mean to," Carmilla interjected. Laura furrowed her brow.

"Um, did you miss how much alcohol was consumed that night or was that just me?" Laura argued.

"I know it's fuzzy, but do you remember why we made that decision? Or at least, what your argument was?" Carmilla questioned. Laura's brow creased even further.

Then it clicked.

"Oh," Laura breathed. "I wanted us to be stuck with each other. So we could work this out. So we could talk it out before either of us could forget it ever happened."

"I guess our drunk selves are getting what they wanted," Carmilla smirked. Laura blinked.

"Wow, we are _conniving_!" Laura gaped.

"At the very least, you are after you have a few drinks in you," Carmilla teased.

"Hey!" Laura chuckled, looking at Carmilla with a smile. "Well, now I'm kind of glad I was."

"Me too," Carmilla agreed, and they both locked eyes for a moment, a tender and sincere moment between the two of them. A silent commitment forming – to see it through to the end, whatever it might be. "You know, my Mother is going to do her best to complicate it farther if we turn against her."

"Let me handle your mother. I think I can deal with her," Laura boasted.

"I love to see you try," Carmilla chuckled.

"Watch me," Laura grinned. "So, a new chapter. Let's see where we end up."

"I look forward to it," Carmilla nodded, picking up Laura's hand that had been in hers throughout their conversation. She shook it, as if giving a greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Laura Hollis."

Laura rolled her eyes, but she shook Carmilla's hand back.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Dork."

* * *

"Why ever would we run a piece on vampires? They haven't been relevant for years and probably won't pick up for another decade. The people are sick of vampires. Even the yahoos who take our cryptology and supernatural media seriously would be fed up."

Lilita was clearly on a phone call when Laura and Carmilla walked into her office. She swiveled in her chair, spotting them and silently gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk.

"No, zombies aren't relevant anymore either. We've written enough about ghosts. Can't you think of anything, I don't know, thrilling?" Lilita paused her conversation, thinking a moment. "I know. Gods. There's enough mythology out there to fill several issues. Pick a culture. Maybe add a conspiracy about how they may still walk among us. That'll please the yahoos," Lilita paused again, listening. "I don't _care_ that you're an atheist, Johnson. Right now, I'm your god so you better believe in me, unless you'd like to fall from your cozy position down to earth. …There, that's what I like to hear. Get your team working on it immediately. Ta-ta now, dear."

Lilita pushed on her ear set and let out a long sigh, turning her attention finally to Laura and Carmilla.

"Getting at the hard-hitting issues, aren't you, Mother?" Carmilla cocked an eyebrow. Lilita rubbed her temple slowly.

"When you're running a media empire, you want your brand to reach as many as possible. You'd be surprised how much money we make off of publishing such nonsense," Lilita huffed.

"You make a profit from fictional pieces? Who would have guessed," Laura goaded, and Lilita looked at her with a glare.

"Nice to see you're back to your obnoxious self. Now, what can I do for you today? Make it quick, I have a very important meeting to attend soon," Lilita requested. "We don't have any events coming up for at least a week, if that's what you're wondering."

"That's just it, Mother. How much longer are you expecting this to go on? It was supposed to be a few events," Carmilla complained.

"And a few it shall be. Unfortunately, your appearances have been less than exemplary. I'll need to borrow your circumstances a bit longer to truly milk it for all its worth," Lilita stated.

"Well, we want a divorce," Laura declared. Lilita cocked her head, clicking her tongue.

"You may, once I feel we have exhausted this story enough for you to be able to do so quietly. That was the deal," Lilita reiterated.

"Deals off. We want a divorce. Now," Carmilla repeated, looking over at Laura. "Both of us do."

Lilita's eyes narrowed.

"Really. Do you, now. After all I've done for you?" Lilita sighed.

"More like what we've done for _you_ ," Laura pointed out. "I've looked at the numbers. You're getting far more attention from our marriage than you ever dreamed of."

"You're quite correct about that, Ms. Hollis," Lilita leaned back in her chair, her hand waving lazily in the air beside her like she were holding an invisible martini glass. "So you must understand why I can't possibly grant you this request to bow out of our agreement while I'm turning a profit."

"We're not asking," Carmilla claimed. "We're telling. I can still get that witness signature from someone other than you."

Lilita looked Carmilla over with interest. Laura thought Lilita was being eerily calm about their proclamation. It made her uneasy.

"Really, my dear? Going through all this effort? And I thought you two were reconnecting. Trouble in paradise?" Lilita questioned.

"Actually, we're probably getting along better than ever," Laura said. "And we agree on this."

"I see," Lilita muttered. "Well, I can see you both have made up your mind. It's not as if I can stop you anyway, as locking you both in a storage room would probably be some sort of illegal."

Carmilla eyed Lilita suspiciously.

"That's it? Just like that? I don't buy it. What's your game?" Carmilla interrogated. Lilita formed a tight smile.

"Well that's just it, isn't it? There's always a game in this industry. We laid out the rules from the very beginning. If you refused to follow the guidelines of our agreement, you would both face the consequences," Lilita stated calmly. "Ergo, I hope you're both prepared to say goodbye to your careers and public favour. It's that simple."

"And who wins in this situation, exactly?" Laura questions.

"Certainly I lose a fair amount of publicity but the consequences for me pale in comparison," Lilita countered.

"Don't be so sure," Laura smirked. "I played along for long enough to make my own connections in this industry. I'm sure there are several outlets who would _love_ to hear about how you used us for your faux publicity, even going as far as to blackmail the both of us. I'm sure that would do a number on your credibility. Vampires and gods notwithstanding."

For the first time in their conversation, Lilita's face fell and she looked to Carmilla, as if searching for a kink in their armour.

"I saw to it myself that Laura has the attention of plenty of media outlets," Carmilla confirmed.

To the surprise of the both of them, Lilita smiled again.

"Would you look at that," Lilita chuckled. "You learned how to play after all. I'm not sure it's wise to make an enemy of me anyway, Ms. Hollis."

"I'm not done playing my hand," Laura stated. "I didn't come here with just blackmail. That's how _you_ may play, but I make my own rules."

Lilita raised her eyebrows, resting her chin on her knuckles.

"You have my attention," Lilita said.

"I'd like to make an offer," Laura started. "A change to the story. See, we ran into a few younger girls who really looked up to us – at least, the performance they saw in the news. It would break my heart to think of them finding out that was all a lie. Let me be clear: I am doing this for them, not for you."

"What do you propose?" Lilita leaned in, clearly interested.

"Let it have all been real. At least to them. But we get the divorce. Because we rushed into it. We had too much to drink. We weren't sure we're ready. Maybe we need some time to really decide what we want," Laura listed off. "Because like I said from the beginning, a gay relationship does _not_ have to be perfect to be valid. That's your tagline."

Carmilla was staring at Laura with complete admiration. It would've made Laura blush had she not been all fired up.

"You have to admit, Mother, it's a good opportunity," Carmilla chimed in. "You said before that the world wasn't ready for that sort of message. But isn't that your whole mantra? Delivering the news before anyone else? Gay marriage is happening all the time now. But this, this is your story."

Laura beamed at Carmilla. What a difference in support compared to when Laura had last confronted Lilita.

Lilita seemed to dwell on it, turning it in her head.

"I suppose it's more likely to be a success than vampires," Lilita mused. "I'm not confident it will be received well, but you're right, it truly is the sort of progressive message I try to look for," she sighed, placing her hands on her desk. "Besides, nothing like a scandal to stir up intrigue."

"So, you agree?" Laura gaped, half not believing it.

"Yes, yes," Lilita waved her hand dismissively. "I agree to your new terms. You may have your divorce and receive no fuss from me. Will that be all?"

"Actually, no. I have one more term," Laura stated. Lilita raised another eyebrow. "When the divorce story hits, I get to write it for you."

Lilita was silent for a moment, staring at Laura.

Laura could practically hear the sweat dripping down the back of her own neck.

Finally, Lilita smirked again.

"So, I get the novelty of having the story broken straight from the source, and you get the opportunity to have your name printed in bold letters across my front page," Lilita commented. "Well, it seems you've learned far more than I expected."

Laura let out a breath.

"It's easy. I just watch you and do the opposite," Laura couldn't resist the dig.

Lilita snarled and rolled her eyes.

"Cute. If that's all now, I am quite late for my meeting," Lilita stood up, grabbing some files.

"I'd make a quick escape too if I were up against Laura," Carmilla chuckled.

"I need to tell my assistant to stop letting you both in here," Lilita huffed, walking by them haughtily. "We'll finalize the details later, namely getting my witness signature on your forms."

"Was that so hard?" Laura grinned.

"Exhausting," Lilita grumbled, heading out the door and leaving Laura and Carmilla alone.

Laura let out a squeal.

"Oh my god, we did it! We took on the she-devil! We're getting a divorce, Carmilla!" Laura was practically jumping for joy, but she quickly calmed herself. "Um, there's probably a line of excitement I shouldn't cross in regards to getting a divorce, huh?"

"It's fine, you worked too damn hard for this divorce," Carmilla smiled. "And, Laura… about what I said, about escaping if I were up against you-"

"Carmilla, I get it, don't worry," Laura held up her hand. "It was a great line."

"I just don't want anything misunderstood, or to step on any toes," Carmilla sighed.

"Thanks, but I knew what you were going for. You were really supportive during that. Thank you," Laura expressed.

"Me? I did nothing. That was all you! Laura, you were… that was amazing," Carmilla murmured, stepping closer and eyeing Laura with all the adoration she could muster. Now Laura could blush.

"And you stood up to your mom for me. Seriously, Carmilla, I couldn't have done that without you," Laura breathed, staring back at Carmilla.

"We make a great team," Carmilla gave Laura a soft smile.

"Yeah, we're pretty awesome at this whole… weird, friendship-but-not thing," Laura nodded, noticing how close they were, how smooth Carmilla's skin looked.

"The best kind of not-friends," Carmilla agreed, looking right at Laura's lips.

"I'm proud of us," Laura swallowed hard.

"Yeah," Carmilla husked.

There was a beat of silence between them.

And then Laura was pushing Carmilla on top of Lilita's desk.

* * *

"And… there, never happened," Carmilla muttered, tapping away at a terminal in the server room of Morgan Industries. Laura was near the door, keeping a look out.

"Are you sure you deleted _all_ of the security footage? There's no back up?" Laura questioned in a hushed tone.

"All wiped clean. I just put a loop of her empty office for the missing section of footage," Carmilla confirmed.

"Thank _god_ you do video editing for your travel blog," Laura groaned. "I would _not_ want your mom seeing… that."

"Yeah, talk about blackmail to be used against us," Carmilla mumbled. "Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't think of making a back up of the footage for my own personal use."

"Haw, haw," Laura rolled her eyes. "As hot as that was-"

"So hot."

" _So_ hot, but we're getting a divorce for the exact reason of not complicating anything while we figure ourselves out. Having sex on your mom's desk… does not help in that area," Laura pointed out.

But holy hell did it help in _so many_ other areas.

"Just try not to show up naked in my living room again or I can't make any promises," Carmilla smirked.

"I'll try my best," Laura chuckled. Carmilla gave Laura a gentle smile.

"You're right, though. It's better we let ourselves figure this out without complications," Carmilla muttered. "Laura, I'm going to Spain and Portugal for a month."

Laura's eyes widened.

"Excuse me? You're _leaving_? After everything you said?" Laura gaped. Carmilla held up her hands.

"It's not like that! It's for my job, which I've been severely neglecting the last little while. I generally don't pay much attention to my blog traffic but it's been declining a bit and, well, that's my income," Carmilla explained.

Laura let out a breath. "Right. Yeah. Of course. That makes sense."

Carmilla went up to Laura, placing her hands on Laura's shoulders.

"I will spend all my time proving I won't disappear again. Not like that. Even when I'm across the world, you don't have to worry about me not coming back," Carmilla assured. Laura nodded slowly.

"Okay. Yeah," Laura shook herself off. "Yeah, that's totally fine. You'll be back."

"I promise I will," Carmilla smiled. "Besides, this will go well with your angle that we're taking some time to figure ourselves out separately after the divorce. Might not be such a bad idea for us anyway."

"Yeah, some time apart to clear our heads. Then when you come back, we can have our fresh start. For real," Laura concluded.

"Mhm. But I will have a phone plan over there, so you can text me any time," Carmilla stated.

Laura let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god because I don't think I could go cold turkey from you at this point. Too much of a shock to my system," Laura groaned.

"I understand that. You have no idea," Carmilla chuckled. Laura then threw her arms around Carmilla's neck, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Have a good time. Don't die in Spain," Laura muttered against Carmilla's shoulder. Carmilla let out a light laugh.

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Laura underestimated how stressful writing an article for one of the biggest media corporations in the world was. She had little experience writing for such a large platform and wasn't familiar with the quality standards yet. She knew what she wanted to say, it was just how to say it.

Plus there was the stress of living up to Lilita's expectations. Laura felt she had gained at least a little smidge of respect from one of the most successful CEOs in the world and Laura would hate to squander that by handing her a garbage article.

She wished Carmilla were there. It didn't feel right not having her opinion included in the article. But Carmilla had just said "Just say whatever you want. I'm sure you'd make me sound better than anything I could say, anyway".

The sweet jerk, running off to Spain and Portugal.

Laura wasn't really bitter at Carmilla for leaving on a trip. If anything, Laura was just bitter she wasn't also in Spain and Portugal. She was tempted to ask, although that would go against the idea of having time apart. Not to mention it would make it difficult to write the article. Priorities.

But more than that, Laura couldn't help but miss Carmilla.

Part of her had to admit to herself that she only truly wanted to be in Spain and Portugal because of who was there.

Ugh, how did she get in so deep? Laura was still figuring out what part of her feelings were leftover from memories and what were…

Laura found it hard to ignore how drawn she was to Carmilla as she was now.

Luckily for the both of them, Carmilla kept her word about being able to keep in touch. They had been texting quite a bit, mostly involving Carmilla confirming that yes, she was still alive.

Carmilla wouldn't go and die before they could work things out on Laura's watch.

Laura sighed, staring at the word document in front of her. She had a fair amount written, but since opening it this time she had written a whole… four and a half words.

She didn't think she was going to keep them, either.

With a sigh, Laura turned her attention away toward her phone. She unlocked it just in time to see a text come in from Carmilla.

Apparently some Spanish blue cheese croquettes didn't agree with Carmilla's stomach, but she was still alive.

Laura let out a laugh. It was going to be a long month.

* * *

**Laura**  
So what are your favorite sights so far?  
 _12:01pm_

**Carmilla**  
The Cathedrals. By far. I'm not religious but I would go to church every Sunday just to look at these ceilings.  
 _12:02pm_

**Laura**  
Praise be to Jesus and his fancy ceilings. Found any abandoned Cathedrals to explore yet?  
 _12:04pm_

**Carmilla**  
Working on it.  
 _12:08pm_

* * *

**Laura**  
Carmilla Karnstein, was that a bullfight you were at on your travel blog?  
 _6:16pm_

**Carmilla**  
It may have been.  
 _4:14am_

**Laura**  
Those things are cruel! Those poor bulls.  
 _7:28am_

**Carmilla**  
I don't know enough about it. Had to see it for myself. Gonna write my thoughts on my blog. Gotta be careful though. It's not my culture and I'm no journalist.  
 _7:38am_

**Laura**  
I'll write it! I'll journalism those bulls free. You'll see. I'm gonna title it "Bullshit".  
 _7:41am_

**Carmilla**  
Okay Lois Lane, you do that. Finish the article for Mother first though.  
 _7:42am_

**Laura**  
Ugh, don't remind me.  
 _7:46am_

**Carmilla**  
You did ask for this.  
 _7:48am_

**Laura**  
I know. I'll get on it. And no more bull fights for you, okay?  
 _7:50am_

**Carmilla**  
I promise if I go to another one it'll be to liberate all the bulls and lead them to the bull promise land.  
 _7:51am_

**Laura**  
You've been going to too many churches.  
 _7:53am_

* * *

**Carmilla**  
Hey, read the article. It was incredible.  
 _5:14pm_

**Laura**  
Thank you. It was only incredible because of all the editing it went through with the editors.  
 _5:37pm_

**Carmilla**  
That's part of the job, Laura. You know that. But it was the heart of the article that really made it resonate. That could only come from you.  
 _6:00pm_

**Laura**  
I hope everyone else thinks so. I'm nervous!  
 _6:04pm_

**Carmilla**  
No worries there. I've been looking at twitter. People are loving it. When people on the internet are praising it, you know you did well.  
 _6:05pm_

**Laura**  
What! No way!  
 _6:06pm_

**Carmilla**  
Seems you were on the right path after all. I'm not surprised.  
 _6:07pm_

**Laura**  
Oh, stop it. Go to bed! It's late for you!  
 _6:09pm_

**Carmilla**  
If you say so. Good night.  
 _6:11pm_

* * *

**Carmilla**  
Luara? Are you there?  
 _8:25pm  
_ I'm sorru, I'm real.y drunk  
I won't marry anyoine thyough, I swear  
 _8:29pm  
_ I miss yuo  
 _8:31pm_

**Laura**  
I miss you too.  
 _10:45_

* * *

**Carmilla**  
I found an abandoned place to explore in Portugal. It's called Hell's Tower, or Palace of the Garbage King. I'll let you know how it goes.  
 _3:36am_

**Laura**  
Sounds light and frothy. You better still be alive.  
 _6:48am_

**Carmilla**  
Still breathing. I'll send you pictures of my visit.  
 _9:27am_

**Laura**  
Not going to put them on your blog?  
 _9:30am_

**Carmilla**  
This wasn't one of my more legal ventures, unfortunately.  
It was owned by a potentially satanic man that used to feed waste to his pigs for money  
It kept burning down inexplicably over the years, and then the man mysteriously died  
 _9:34am_

**Laura**  
If you get cursed by a garbage king ghost, you're not allowed to come back. Did you write your quote?  
 _9:41am_

**Carmilla**  
You know it. Going to explore an abandoned resort next.  
 _9:43am_

**Laura**  
One of these days your luck is going to run out and you'll end up in a fatal accident or arrested.  
 _9:44am_

**Carmilla**  
Not possible. I promised I would come back to you.  
 _9:45am_

**Laura**  
Not if you're possessed by a satanic garbage man you won't.  
 _9:47am_

* * *

**Laura**  
Still alive over there?  
 _2:09pm_

**Carmilla**  
So far. I'm in the Azores now. Volcanic islands.  
 _2:12pm_

**Laura**  
I swear sometimes you tell me things just to worry me.  
 _2:13pm_

**Carmilla**  
It's cute when you worry.  
 _2:15pm  
_ I'll be home soon.  
 _2:22pm_

**Laura**  
Thank god. Home as in New York or Nevada?  
 _2:24pm_

**Carmilla**  
Home as in wherever you are.  
 _2:25pm_

**Laura**  
You should know I moved to Canada then.  
 _2:27pm_

**Carmilla**  
Hilarious.  
 _2:28pm_

**Laura**  
Want to get a coffee when you get back?  
 _2:32pm_

**Carmilla**  
Wouldn't miss it.  
 _2:32pm_

* * *

The day finally came. Carmilla was home.

As much as Laura had enjoyed their frequent text conversations over the course of the month, she was beyond excited to see Carmilla in person again.

Like, butterflies excited.

Laura was starting to worry, however. They were supposed to have their fresh start. What if they struggled to get to get to know each other again? What if they found they didn't click the same anymore? What if Carmilla decided a relationship with Laura wasn't what she wanted anymore?

Laura already felt like she had the answers for herself. At least, her heart did. Her head was still trying to fight it.

But god, part of her knew she would be devastated if Carmilla did indeed decide Laura wasn't worth it.

With a pounding heart, Laura made her way up to Carmilla's new temporary residence in the city.

She felt the kind of nervous that would be felt on a first date.

Maybe it was.

Hesitantly, and holding her breath, Laura knocked on the door.

All her anxious energy flushed away as soon as Carmilla opened the door.

There she was.

"Whoa! Hey, Laura, nice to see you too," Carmilla chuckled, catching Laura's flurried hug.

Laura squeezed Carmilla tight, burying her head in Carmilla's neck and breathing in deeply. She still smelled the same. Like comfort.

"I'm just glad you weren't destroyed by a volcano," Laura mumbled.

"Most of those volcanoes aren't active, anyway," Carmilla revealed. Laura pulled back, gaping at her.

"You could've mentioned that in your text," Laura glared.

"I could've," Carmilla smirked. Laura shook her head.

"Jerk," Laura lightly pushed Carmilla's shoulder. "Active or not, I want to hear all about your trip."

"I'll tell you all about it over coffee," Carmilla assured her.

"Right, coffee, that's why I'm here," Laura nodded.

They stood unmoving in the doorway.

"We certainly have a lot to catch up on," Carmilla agreed.

They still didn't move.

"Yep. A lot to catch up on. In public. Where we can't make any rash decisions just because we missed each other," Laura continued slowly.

"Of course. Because this is a fresh start," Carmilla said.

"The freshest," Laura stated.

They continued to stare at each other.

"Laura-" Carmilla started.

"Oh, screw it," Laura huffed, crashing her lips against Carmilla's and waddled themselves into the apartment.

* * *

"Well, best welcome home gift I've ever received," Carmilla panted, lying in bed next to Laura and staring up at the ceiling.

Both equally naked, both equally sweaty.

"We're really bad at this, huh?" Laura sighed. She rolled over, pressing against Carmilla and planting little kisses along Carmilla's collarbone.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're _fantastic_ at what we just did, if you ask me," Carmilla teased.

"You know what I mean," Laura smiled, leaning over Carmilla and cupping her cheek. "I really wanted to take it slow, give ourselves some time to really make a decision, but… this keeps happening."

"So what do you propose? I'm not confident in our abilities to keep it from not happening… more," Carmilla ran her finger tips along the length of Laura's arm. "In fact, I'd be up for another round right now."

Laura felt her entire body heat up. Damn, she was tempted.

"Whoa there, lady killer, let's talk about this first," Laura sighed. "I don't know how I'd feel about a friends with benefits situation."

Carmilla's face fell and she suddenly looked guilty.

"That's not what I want either, Laura. That's not what this is. I don't just want sex. I want… all of you," Carmilla breathed, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Carmilla…" Laura frowned, brushing a strand of hair out of Carmilla's face.

"I know I'm supposed to figure out where I stand with you on my feelings, what I'm projecting and what I'm not. But…" Carmilla paused, turning on her side to look at Laura. "When I was on my trip, seeing these amazing sights, having these experiences… I just kept wishing you were there with me. And I mean _you_ , right now. Not the Laura in college. The Laura that tries her hardest, who takes on my Mother, that faces her past, that has the empathy to forgive someone who probably doesn't deserve it. Laura, it's you. It'll always be you."

Laura bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes.

She was always drawn to Carmilla. Nothing's changed in that regard. She always will be. No matter the changes. No matter the distance.

"To hell with this," Laura croaked, pulling Carmilla in for a deep and slow kiss.

Carmilla melted into the lip lock, her hand moving to tangle up in Laura's hair, holding her in place as she moved her lips against Laura's. Laura could still taste herself on Carmilla's lips.

They finally broke apart and Laura ran her hand through Carmilla's hair.

"I don't want a fresh start. I just want you. I want to be able to let myself love you. Like I know I can. Like I think I do," Laura expressed, watching the tears form in Carmilla's eyes. "But I need to know where you're at. If you love me, that's great, but if our past relationship taught me anything, it's that loving each other sometimes isn't enough."

Carmilla nodded, leaning forward to give Laura a quick, soft kiss.

"I know. I wasn't ready back then. Now I am. I'm ready to do more than love you, Laura," Carmilla promised. "I realized there's two key components to a romantic relationship. Love and work. And sometimes you've got to work to love, and you need to love to work."

Laura smiled, cupping Carmilla's face and nuzzling her nose.

"And I'll love nothing more than to work for our love," Laura murmured. Carmilla stared at Laura with her red and puffy eyes.

"So we're really doing this? Starting over?" Carmilla asked, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe it. Laura nodded rapidly.

"A fresh start, just in a different way," Laura mumbled, kissing around Carmilla's temple. "Thank god we got divorced because I want to enjoy calling you my girlfriend again for a while."

"I love you, Laura" Carmilla choked out. Laura beamed, kissing Carmilla softly again.

"I think we can use nicknames again," Laura chuckled. Carmilla let out a light laugh.

"Whatever you want, Cupcake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so soft and gross. Ew. Just letting you know, this is basically the end! There's going to be an epilogue, but this was never supposed to be a long story (it was originally just supposed to be a one shot. It got away from me). So, yeah! Now that Laura has dealt with the stages of grief of a break up, one chapter at a time, it's time to end things. But I couldn't leave you without giving a taste of their new relationship together. You want to know if they'll last, right? Epilogue, coming soon!


	6. Happy Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue! (Pronounced the same as apology)

**Two Years Later**

"Are those… fangs?" Laura questioned, staring intensely at LaFontaine. LaF grinned, displaying the pointed teeth tips in all of their glory.

"Aren't they great? I had them specially moulded to my mouth," LaF claimed, poking one of the fangs with their tongue.

"That's very nice and all but take those out and help me figure out this dress," Laura huffed, looking down at all the frills and lace. There was just so much fabric. Too much fabric. No dress ever needed so many layers to it. It was ridiculous. Impractical.

Why hadn't she just gone for a simple silk slip?

"Sorry, Laur, that's really Perry's area of expertise," LaF shrugged. Laura looked down at the poofy skirt of the dress with worry. She could see a bit of curly red hair poking out.

"Honestly, I think we lost her," Laura sighed. LaF craned their neck to look.

"Wow. How long has she been down there? And on your _wedding day_. Does Carmilla know?" LaF gasped. Laura rolled her eyes.

"Always the jokes with you. Speaking of which, why are you still wearing those? Why do you even _have_ fangs?" Laura interrogated. LaF grinned again, flashing the fake fangs.

"Just paying homage to your last wedding," LaF explained.

"Paying homage…?" Laura pondered, then her eyes widened. "Oh my god, LaF, that was two years ago. Let it go."

"I would but unfortunately, you and Carmilla didn't drunkenly go for the Frozen themed wedding," LaF chuckled.

"Who invited you," Laura sighed.

"I just thought you were already trying to pay homage to your last wedding. Who has their wedding at night?" LaF scoffed.

"I told you, Carm and I wanted a wedding under the stars," Laura said.

"Right. I forgot what romantic saps you both are," LaF grumbled. Laura again rolled her eyes.

"Just take those out. I don't want my Person of Honour standing up there ready to drink blood," Laura requested. LaF shook their head.

"No can do," they stated.

Laura suddenly felt movement down within the frills of her skirt and Perry emerged in a blazing fury.

" _La_ _ **FON**_ _taine!_ Did you _really_ just deny a _request_ from **the bride**?!" Perry exclaimed, her eyes wild. LaF shrunk own a little.

"Uh…" LaF stalled.

"How _**dare**_ you. She is your **friend** and this her _**wedding**_! You don't say **no** to a _bride_ on her _**wedding**_! You do what she says right this instant, LaFontaine. If you don't then I will _make_ you," Perry snapped.

Silence fell over the room, Perry shaking slightly and LaF slowly pointing to the door.

"I was going to say, no can do because these are literally glued to my teeth and I need a solvent to take them off, which is in my room," LaF explained. Perry took a deep breath.

"Yes. Good. Go do that, then. I'll be here, trying to make this day run _smoothly_ as I possibly can," Perry claimed stiffly, turning back to Laura's dress.

"Okay, okay," LaF raised their hands and slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind them. Perry let out a huff.

"Okay, now, I… I think I clipped in the right places. But there's some ties and- and buttons that I haven't used and I'm worried I am missing something and all I can picture is your dress coming apart during the I do's and I just- I…" Perry's eyes were wide, looking over Laura and her dress.

"Well that's a horrifying thought. But you can relax. I'm sure the dress will hold," Laura sighed.

"But if it doesn't. Oh, it'd be all my fault and we can't have that, we just can't. No, no. Maybe we should start from scratch," Perry started fiddling with some strings on Laura's dress.

"Oh please god no. I don't want to get out and get back into this thing," Laura groaned.

As Laura was trying to gently swat Perry away, the door opened revealing Laura's dad, hands over his eyes.

"Hello, ladies. And LaFontaine, if you're here. I just want to make sure everyone is decent before I talk with my daughter," he stated. Perry let out a low cackle.

"Decent? Debatable," Perry said in a low voice. Laura stared at her, concerned and a little scared.

"Um, Perry, why don't you go check on the floral arrangements?" Laura suggested.

"Oh, yes. Great idea. I need to make sure every petal is pristine. Every petal. Perhaps I can brush each one individually with a toothbrush, just to be sure," Perry mused, looked at Laura and placing her hands on certain parts of the dress. "Maybe hold onto these parts, just to be sure. And don't move two inches to the left. Okay. I'll be back."

Perry shuffled out of the room, leaving Laura and her dad alone in a slightly less anxious atmosphere.

"Okay, dad. You can look. Probably," Laura raised her eyebrow, looking into the mirror. Her dad lowered his hands and he gasped.

"Oh. Laura. You look… beautiful," his lower lip quivered and he quickly wiped his eyes. "You're almost a spitting image of your mother on our wedding day."

"Am I? Well, at least this dress helps channel mom I suppose," Laura shuffled her skirt a bit and felt the bodice fall down a bit. She let out a groan.

"Not a fan of the dress after all, pumpkin?" her dad questioned.

"I don't know. I liked it when I picked it out months ago but now I'm not sure. It just seems like a lot. I probably should have gone for something more simple and practical. Something more me. Sometimes I wish I had gone for a suit like Carmilla," Laura muttered.

He let out a short laugh.

"I've been by Carmilla's room a couple of times and believe me, that mother of hers isn't making this simple or practical for her either," he shook his head. "I can't believe you're going to have her as an in-law. I'm so sorry."

Laura raised her eyebrow. "And how about the in-law Carmilla's gaining? You went by her room a _couple_ of times? That seems pretty out of the way."

Laura's dad shifted awkwardly, looking at the ground.

"I was just making sure they didn't murder each other. It'd be a shame to have a double homicide on your wedding day," he mumbled. Laura sighed, tilting her head.

"And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact you're paranoid that Carmilla is going to run out on this wedding at a moment's notice," Laura stated, fiddling with her fancy pin up. "What would you even do if she did? Tackle her to the ground?"

"I'd sure as hell try," he claimed, letting out a sigh. "She doesn't have a great track record, honey. I'm just being sure."

"What do you mean she has a bad track record? She hasn't inexplicably left for two years now," Laura huffed.

"And I believe it was two years last time before she up and left, wasn't it?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"She also hadn't asked me to marry her at that point, either," Laura muttered.

"I think we both know both you and Carmilla have proven in the past that marriage can be just something on a piece of paper," he stated. Laura turned towards him, glaring.

"See, this is what I mean. You think she doesn't know you still don't trust her?" Laura questioned, turning back to the mirror. "I do. Which is why I'm marrying her. For real, this time."

Her dad let out a long sigh and walked up to the mirror next to her.

"Carmilla has grown on me, I'll give her that. You've found a career you love through her. She makes you happy. I'm just afraid of that can still come crashing down," he mumbled.

"Dad, did you and mom ever hit rough patches?" Laura asked. Her dad paused for a moment.

"Yes, but-"

"And would you do it all again anyway?"

"Laura-"

"Would you? Even though you might've hurt. Even though you end up losing her," Laura interrogated.

It might've been a bit far, but he needed to understand.

Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I would. Every time. But part of that is because of no matter what happened, I got you out of it. I would never regret that. And I don't want you to regret anything."

"Dad, I don't think… I could regret any moment I've had with Carmilla. Even the worse parts. We're both who we are now because of them," Laura noted. "You told me to follow my heart once. It leads me to Carmilla. Always."

"I did tell you that, didn't I," he agreed. "I'm sorry, pumpkin. It's just so hard to forget what she did. But if it helped build you into the beautiful, strong woman I see today, I suppose I can forgive it."

"You don't have to," Laura shook her head, turning to her dad. "You just have to believe in her now. Like I do."

He smiles softly at her. "I'll try my best. I'm always going to be your overprotective dad, though."

"I wouldn't want you to be anything else," Laura smiled, carefully giving him a hug.

"Oh, my baby is getting married," he croaked. "Maybe I'm just too hesitant to let you go."

"C'mon, dad, it's really just a piece of paper anyway," Laura chuckled. Her dad let out an emotional laugh.

A ruckus from outside in the hallway interrupted their moment.

" **LaFontaine.** Do **not** go in there dressed like that! You will stress her out even more! This isn't funny! LaFontaine!"

The door suddenly burst open and LaF strode in, decked out head to toe in a flashy, bejewelled Elvis jumpsuit.

Laura's jaw dropped.

"Hey, baby. I uh," they rolled their head in a very Elvis fashion, "took out those fangs for you. Uh-huh-huh."

"LaF. What the hell," Laura gaped. Perry came storming in the room after them.

"Laura, I am so sorry. It seems like _some_ of us can't hold some semblance of emotional maturity for even _two seconds_. I am so sorry," Perry huffed.

"I think they look great," Laura's dad shrugged.

"See! He gets it," LaF grinned. "Since you didn't appreciate the homage, I decided to bring in an example of the wedding you should have had all along."

Laura would have slapped herself in the face if she hadn't had so much make-up on.

"This is what I get for making a chaotic neutral my Person of Honour," Laura groaned.

"More like _**chaotic evil**_ ," Perry snapped, then looked at Laura and gasped. "Oh no, sweetie, did you move? You moved, didn't you? Look at this! The bust is all loose and the fabric is all snagged… Oh dear, there's no way around it, we're just going to have to start from scratch. Time to take it off again."

"And that's my cue to leave…" Laura's dad slyly sidestepped out of the room.

"What?! No!" Laura winced.

"Laura, we must make sure you're _pristine_ ," Perry declared.

"Careful, this is the part where she starts scrubbing you with a toothbrush," LaF warned.

"C-can't we worry more about LaF's outfit?" Laura pleaded, trying to avoid Perry's destructive hands.

"Hey! Don't use me as your scapegoat," LaF glared. Perry looked at them and sighed.

"While the outfit is quite… boisterous, at least it provides Laura a distraction from the fact both the band and the minister got lost on the way here," Perry expressed, and then clapped a hand over her mouth.

" _What!?_ " Laura gasped.

"Oh, now you've done it," LaF groaned.

"Now, now, now, Laura, sweetie, it's fine, it's just… just a set back, these things happen all the time at weddings, it's normal," Perry assured her.

"Normal unless you have a wedding in the middle of _no where_ so you can have your starlit ceremony," LaF rolled their eyes. Perry glared at them.

"It's not like you've helped much, with your shenanigans! What kind of Person of Honour are you?" Perry accused.

"The one that reduces wedding jitters through humour! I'm sure it's helping a lot more than your reassurances are!" LaF argued. "Maybe you should have been the Person or Maid or whatever of honour if you think you can do much better!"

"I am Laura's _wedding planner_ and I will make sure this evening is perfect! I thought her giving you some responsibility would make you responsible but I suppose not!" Perry yelled.

"At least I'm not killing her with a dress!" LaF retorted.

"I'm going to get some fresh air!" Laura jumped in cheerfully. "You two can just… sort whatever this is out."

"Oh Laura I'm so sorry, I-" Perry started.

"It's fine. Just, this dress is a little warm and I'd like a breeze, that's all," Laura held up her dress as much as she could as she waddled by the both of them. She could still hear them arguing after she got into the hallway.

"Now look what you've done."

"Me? You're the one who made her freak out!"

"The wedding is ruined! Laura will never speak to us again!"

"Stop being so dramatic. Just relax."

"I don't have that luxury!"

Neither did Laura, apparently.

She carefully made her way down the hall, trying not to step on her dress and undo it further. Eventually she arrived in the foyer of the hotel they were staying in, and found a large balcony overlooking the valley at the set up of the ceremony down below. The sun was still setting, but the stars were already starting to poke out. If nothing else, she had this beautiful scenery.

"What do we have here? A runaway bride, perhaps?"

And a beautiful soon-to-be wife.

Laura smiled, not even needing to look over.

"The brides aren't supposed to see each other before the ceremony, didn't you know?" Laura teased.

"Yes, well, I was never one for tradition," Carmilla purred, coming up beside Laura and wrapping her arms around her waist. She placed a few kisses beneath Laura's ear. "And when I came out onto this balcony and saw such a lovely vision before me, how could I resist?"

"I do like it when you can't resist me," Laura moaned, turning her neck so Carmilla could place a few kisses around her pulse as well. "If I were a runaway bride, it'd only be because I was running away with you."

Carmilla chuckled against Laura's neck before pulling back. "Believe me, I know what you mean."

Laura smiled, turning in Carmilla's arms to look at her. Her eyebrows shot up immediately.

"Is that… a metallic violet suit?" Laura blinked, looking Carmilla over. Carmilla hung her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh, yes. My Mother insisted. Said she wanted me to stand out. It was this or a full plaid suit. 'For the gays'," Carmilla huffed.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," Laura laughed.

"Yeah, well, at least one of us will look good," Carmilla sighed. Laura placed her hands on Carmilla's shoulders.

"Please, you always look amazing," Laura murmured, giving Carmilla a soft peck on the lips. "Do you look like The Joker? Yes. But still amazing."

"Thanks," Carmilla smirked. "I could deal with the suit, but then my Mother introduced her film crew that's going to catch every moment of our wedding so she can publicize it."

Laura gaped at her.

"Seriously? I should've known. Some things never change," Laura scoffed.

"I was furious. I had to walk away, which is why I'm here," Carmilla explained, shaking her head. "I hope your side of the hotel was less hectic."

Laura let out a sigh.

"Well, let's see… the band and minister are lost, LaFontaine is Elvis, my dad is on the verge of an emotional breakdown, Perry _is_ an emotional breakdown, and my dress is slowly falling apart," Laura listed off. Carmilla blinked a couple of times.

"Suddenly my Mother doesn't seem all that bad," Carmilla breathed.

"It's slightly my fault. I was the one who pushed to have a more 'traditional' wedding this time around," Laura groaned. "I should've listened to you when you proposed and just eloped again."

"It's not too late," Carmilla mumbled, sliding behind Laura and wrapping her arms around her again so they could look out over the balcony. Despite the view, Laura tilted her head back and closed her eyes, sinking into Carmilla.

"Don't tempt me," Laura said, her fingers entangling with Carmilla's at her stomach. "I guess I just wanted to include my friends and family into this one. Sometimes it feels like our drunk Vegas wedding was the real thing and this is just us renewing our vows."

"Really? Because if I remember correctly, you were quite opposed to that first wedding," Carmilla chuckled.

"Sure, at the time, but that's what really started all of this anyway, didn't it? Us 2.0," Laura mused.

"A real upgrade," Carmilla agreed, pressing kisses to Laura's shoulder. "No matter what, this night is for us in the end. A symbol of how far we've both come. We're just letting other people the pleasure of looking in."

"Well, hopefully they don't get to look in on the _whole_ night," Laura joked, turning around in Carmilla's arms again and wrapping her arms around Carmilla's neck. Carmilla clicked her tongue, looking at Laura with heavy eyes.

"Which reminds me, you said your dress was falling apart?" Carmilla questioned, her hand playing with one of the ties at the back of the bodice.

"Yeah, um, Perry said I'll have to take it off and try… putting it on again," Laura blushed, involuntarily jutting her hips forward into Carmilla.

"Is that so? Well, I can certainly help take it off, if needed," Carmilla husked, leaning forward to nip at Laura's neck.

"Um, here? We're- we're on a public balcony," Laura breathed.

"Who has time to wait? I'll be a married woman in a couple hours, you know," Carmilla murmured, pressing Laura into the balcony railing. "Do you want me to stop?"

Laura groaned. So far the evening had been nothing but stress. Carmilla was right, though. Ultimately, it was about them, and what they wanted.

Screw it.

"No," Laura gasped. Carmilla smirked and Laura felt the ties at the back of her bodice come loose.

They were really doing this.

On a balcony.

Carmilla gave Laura a deep kiss as she started hiking up the skirt of Laura's dress. Laura's legs slid apart slightly, waiting for Carmilla to touch her.

In a public place. On their wedding day.

God, that was hot.

Laura felt Carmilla's hand sift through the fabric, snaking her way closer. It was taking an agonizingly long time. Carmilla's hand was still lost in her skirt, she hadn't even made it to Laura's thighs yet. Laura was about to berate Carmilla for teasing her, but Carmilla pulled back, a crease in her brow.

"Hm. Um. There's no end to this thing," Carmilla mumbled, concentrating hard. "I can't… figure it out… how many layers are there? Where are your legs?"

"This is what I'm talking about," Laura huffed.

"This is really throwing off my game. Hold on. Think about sexy… stuff," Carmilla said, her brow creasing further.

"Ugh, just forget it. Maybe this is a sign we should behave ourselves. Everything else is going wrong anyway and- oh," Laura squeaked, and Carmilla looked at her with a grin.

"There you are. I knew I would find you," Carmilla purred, flattening her hand and sliding it slowly across Laura's heat.

"Okay. O-okay. That's, mm, good. That feels good," Laura moaned, her head falling back.

Carmilla was groping her.

 _On a balcony_.

"Good," Carmilla chuckled, leaning over to nip at Laura's neck again. "You've had a stressful day, Cupcake. I think it's time you took a moment to just… relax… just let yourself feel…"

"I can do that… I can… feel," Laura breathed. She was feeling so much. But also not enough. Her knees were feeling weak but she grasped at Carmilla's shoulders, steadying herself. "Carm, let me feel you inside of me."

Carmilla smiled, clicking her tongue. "Very forward of you, Miss Hollis."

"It's my wedding. I'll get fucked if I want to," Laura husked, her eyes intense. "And this is the last time you get to call me Miss Hollis."

It was as if the meaning of Laura's words hit Carmilla at that moment, her eyebrows pulling back and her jaw dropping slightly. It really would be. After the evening, they would both be Mrs. Hollis. Carmilla had decided to drop her mother's name, for many reasons.

They were going to be married.

Carmilla pressed up against Laura and kissed her, hard, passionate, like she had so many times. Like she wouldn't want to do anything else. Like she just couldn't get enough of Laura as long as she lived.

She pulled back, her voice low and quavering.

"Anything for my bride."

Laura felt Carmilla slide a couple fingers inside her, her heat ready and eager, taking in the feeling of Carmilla there with her, in her, and how this would get to be the rest of their lives.

It sent shockwaves across Laura's body – _on a goddamn balcony –_ and Laura's eyes shut tight as she cried out from Carmilla's addition. But the cry mixed with an outburst from behind them.

"What is the _**meaning of this**_?!"

Laura slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the cry and Carmilla's hand left immediately, her arm frantically trying to untangle from the fabric of Laura's skirt.

"The brides seeing each other? Before the _ceremony_? This is… this is wedding blasphemy!" Perry shrilled, stomping over to them. Laura and Carmilla finally parted, trying to smooth themselves out as much as possible – which was difficult with Laura's dress practically half off.

"Perry! Didn't… see you there. How are you?" Laura grinned, trying to diffuse the situation.

"How am I? Appalled! You're supposed to see each other during the wedding ceremony! Laura in her dress and Carmilla in her… whatever that is," Perry gestured to Carmilla's suit. "It's supposed to be a breathtaking moment!"

"We've certainly had our own share of breathtaking moments," Carmilla smirked. Laura snorted and Perry looked between the two of them suspiciously.

"Sorry, we just sort of ran into each other and Carmilla, uh, volunteered to help me take off my dress. Just like you wanted," Laura explained.

"It was very intimate," Carmilla joked, and Laura lightly elbowed her. Perry's eyes slowly widened in realization.

"Oh. You two were… _oh_ ," Perry's expression became more horrified. " **Oh**. Laura, of all the – on the _**balcony**_."

"Whoops," Laura winced.

"No, no, no, this is all wrong. You're supposed to see each other during the ceremony. Be polite and share a few kisses during the reception for your guests. And then you can do _whatever you want_ behind _closed doors_ ," Perry lectured.

"Laura and I don't like to stick to rigid itineraries. That's why we're our own bosses," Carmilla shrugged.

"But… but…" Perry gaped, looking ready to pass out.

" _Perry_ it's okay. You said you want to do whatever the brides want for the wedding, right? Well this is… what we want," Laura explained.

" _ **To have sex on a balcony**_?" Perry shrieked. Laura quickly shushed her and looked around, as if her dad would pop out from nowhere.

"No. Well, yes, but not necessarily. I just mean something more relaxed. Casual. Nothing needs to be perfect. The dress, the timing, the music, the flowers, nothing. All we want is to get married, under the stars, with our friends and family cheering us on. That's all," Laura explained. Perry stared at the both of them and nodded slowly.

"O-okay. If that's what the brides want. I can… relax a little. I'll try," Perry stated, and clapped her hands together. "Well then! New itinerary. You two, follow me."

Perry swirled around and stalked back into the foyer. Laura and Carmilla glanced at each other before following after her.

"I thought we said we didn't want an itinerary," Carmilla whispered to Laura.

"Perry's brain works in itineraries. Just play along for now," Laura whispered back. Carmilla let out a sigh but kept following.

Finally, they arrived back at Laura's room. When they opened the door, LaF was in front of the mirror, dancing wildly to "Hound Dog" playing on their phone. When they turned around, they froze and turned off the music immediately, going red in the face.

"I wasn't doing anything!" LaF exclaimed, and then looked at Laura and Carmilla. "Hey, aren't the brides not supposed to see each other until the ceremony?"

"We're flipping the script. You. Out," Perry ordered, going around LaFontaine and pushing them out of the room.

"What's going on?" LaF questioned as they were shoved out, but Perry ignored them and turned to Laura and Carmilla.

"Carmilla, please assist Laura in taking off her dress, as you intended. You have," Perry checked her watch, "thirty minutes. Chop, chop!"

Realization came over LaF's face.

"Ohhh. _Nice_ ," they grinned right before Perry slammed the door shut. Laura and Carmilla stood there, blinking.

"Your friends are always so strange. I like them," Carmilla expressed.

"Me too," Laura chuckled.

"So… thirty minutes. Not a lot of time. Fifteen of those might be spent just getting the dress off," Carmilla pondered.

"Well, better get started, then," Laura stated.

She jumped on Carmilla, wrapping her legs around Carmilla's waist best she could with all the fabric, and brought their lips together.

* * *

It was the happiest day of Laura and Carmilla's lives.

And also LaF's.

The band eventually showed up but the minister did not, so Person of Honour stepped up to the plate thanks to a quick online certifying process. Suddenly, LaFontaine was in the acting role of officially marrying Laura and Carmilla.

Dressed as Elvis.

They were grinning ear to ear while reading a script off their phone.

"-and today we're here to celebrate love, the love that brought these two people together, and the love that will endure them for the rest of their lives. From this day forth, they vow to take care of each other, to support each other and lift each other up not as two separate entities, but as one, joined in a union of trust and comfort. They will walk together in life, and from all conflicts and tribulations, he shall protect her. And when the days are long and heavy and begins to wear him down, she shall pamper him. And- wow, this script is a little heteronormative, huh? Also a little sexist? Who wrote this?" LaF read off, puzzled.

Laura looked at Carmilla and rolled her eyes with a smile, their conjoined hands squeezing each other tighter.

Their official wedding had ended up even more ridiculous than their first accidental one. Laura had originally wanted to have the wedding she never had the first time, but now she didn't want it any other way. Her, Carmilla, the stars, and Elvis LaF.

Mostly because the odd circumstances would be vexing to Lilita – both for her and her film crew and the dozens of business partners she invited to make up most of Carmilla's side of the wedding.

"Okay, well, forget this," LaF sighed, putting their phone away. "Falling in love is easy. Falling in love is science. When you meet a good match for mating and companionship in life, your brain releases all sorts of chemicals drawing you to that person, to connect with, because us humans are social creatures by nature. It's not dictated by race or gender, but by what our brains see in another's brain. Generally, it's involuntary. It's not a choice. What is a choice is commitment. Commitment to each other, to take those brain chemicals and extend it far beyond a natural need of companionship and make a promise that their brain chemicals are meant for no one else, now and forever. That is the choice that Laura and Carmilla are making today."

Laura looked over at LaF and smiled at them, and LaF grinned back.

"I'm sure they will protect each other, I'm sure they will pamper each other. They are on equal ground, and that is a lasting bond that I think we can all celebrate – especially since they're consciously making the choice this time," LaF teased, earning a laugh from the audience and another eye roll from Laura. "May I have the rings?"

Perry walked up, tears in her eyes, holding out the rings for LaF to take.

They had a remarkably small wedding party.

"Before we start the sappy vows, I need confirmation that you two really do intend to get married right now, even though I'm pretty sure you do. I don't know, it's in the script, and consent is important, so," LaF stood up straight. "Do you, Carmilla-"

"I do," Carmilla interrupted. Laura let out a small laugh.

"Okay, eager. And do you, Laura-"

"Yes, yes, absolutely yes, I do," Laura beamed and LaF sighed.

"Why do I even bother talking?" They huffed. "I believe the brides wanted to say their own vows."

Laura nodded, giving Carmilla's hands another squeeze.

"Carm, we've had a hectic day, and I think that's fitting, because the journey to get to this point has been anything but peaceful. I was talking to my dad earlier about regrets, and how despite it all, I don't regret a thing. Because, god, if all that crap is the reason I'm up here with you right now, then," Laura croaked choking back some tears. Carmilla welled up as well as Laura caught her breath. "I could not imagine being anywhere else. Because of you, I'm a stronger person, but also more vulnerable, and you gave me the strength to do that. You allow me to let me face my feelings, and I'm a better person for it. Carmilla, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life facing my feelings with you. I'm yours, and I trust that you're mine. I love you, so much, and I promise I will always work to love you more every day."

Laura heard a sob, and expected it to come from Carmilla, but it was LaF, who covered their face and turned away.

"Don't look at me. Just keep going," LaF muttered.

Carmilla chuckled, wiping away some of her own tears. She took a deep breath, holding up Laura's hands and kissing her on the knuckles.

"Cupcake – Laura – I don't know where to begin. I never thought I would get a chance to stand up here in front of you again after everything I did. I thought I lost my chance, and I will never, ever take you for granted and the second chance you gave me. Sometimes, I still feel I don't deserve it," Carmilla mumbled, looking at the ground. Laura stepped closer as a comfort, and Carmilla continued. "The thing about regrets – it's amazing you don't regret a thing, but I will always regret hurting you. And I will carry that regret in my heart because I know I'm not the same person anymore, I know I would never leave you again. If ever I run, it will always be towards you. There's no doubt in my mind now, that I can be who you need me to be. Thank you for giving me that chance. I will continue proving myself the rest of my life, because I am committed to you. And I also promise to work for that commitment. And my love for you. Every day."

It took everything in Laura's body not to leap the remaining distance and kissing the life out of Carmilla. She looked over at her dad, his cheeks tear stained, and he nodded at her. Laura nodded back.

LaF turned back to them, dabbing their eyes with a tissue.

"Okay, well, now that that's over. Now for the main reason we're all here, other than making me cry, the ring exchange," LaF handed a ring to both Laura and Carmilla. "Take these rings, place them on each other's hand and say, with this ring I thee wed."

Laura smiled through her tears, slipping the ring on Carmilla's finger.

"With this ring, Carmilla, I thee wed," Laura sniffed. Carmilla looked down at the ring for a moment, as if she couldn't believe it. She looked back at Laura, a full smile on her face, as she slipped her ring on Laura's finger.

"With this ring, Laura, I thee wed," Carmilla breathed, barely able to get through the sentiment with her shaky breath.

And that was that.

"By the power invested in me and my online certifications, I now pronounce you wife and… wife," LaF announced. "You may now kiss the… brides."

Carmilla and Laura grinned, finally no longer held back by the ceremony, and brought themselves together for their second first kiss as each other's wives.

Only this time, they were certain it was forever.

* * *

Laura wanted nothing more than to just go back to her room with Carmilla and continue what they had been doing earlier.

But Perry was right. They owed their friends and family some polite partying first.

So Laura, a little tipsy, was indulging in the next best thing than ravaging her new wife. They were in the middle of the dance floor, holding each other close and swaying slowly to the music while others watched or danced alongside them.

Laura felt such bliss, feeling Carmilla's breath against her ear, the thumping of her heart against Carmilla's chest. She hoped Carmilla could feel it too.

Married. They were married.

It seemed to hold a lot of meaning for something supposedly just on paper.

"I love you so much," Laura murmured. "You and that silly suit."

"I hope you're not too attached to it. I'm burning it the first chance I get," Carmilla said.

"I can live with that," Laura sighed, closing her eyes.

"And I hope you're not offended but, as lovely as you look in that dress, I can't wait to take it off again," Carmilla teased.

"God, me too. Think that balcony is free? Would anyone miss us?" Laura asked.

"I think someone would notice. Maybe good things come to those who wait," Carmilla planted a kiss on Laura's shoulder. "Besides, we have the rest of our lives. I'm enjoying the moment with you, right now."

"Ditto," Laura agreed, her arm around Carmilla's shoulders pulling her closer. "Carm, about your vows…"

"Were they too much?" Carmilla inquired.

"No, no, they were perfect. It's just, I wish you still wouldn't feel so bad. You said it yourself, you know you're not the same person. You don't need to carry all that guilt around," Laura mumbled.

"I suppose I like the guilt to motivate me," Carmilla admitted.

"Do you always use guilt to influence your decisions?" Laura questioned.

"No," Carmilla replied. "Not always. When I proposed to you, it wasn't as if I was just proving my commitment to you. I just already knew I wanted to spend my life with you so we might as well get the legal perks."

"Romantic," Laura muttered.

"I also never really got the chance to enjoy being your wife before, so… I felt that was the best natural step for us," Carmilla continued. "I suppose I don't need the guilt."

"I don't want it weighing you down, Carm. You've been nothing but incredible. You deserve to give yourself better treatment for your past mistakes. God knows I'm not innocent in how I treated you after Vegas, either," Laura sighed. "I trust you. Please trust yourself."

Carmilla took a deep breath, nuzzling against Laura's cheek. "I'll try my best."

"I'm with you the whole way," Laura promised.

"I know," Carmilla breathed.

"May I cut in?"

Laura and Carmilla pulled apart slightly, surprised at who was making the intrusion.

"It's not time for the parent-daughter dance yet, Mother," Carmilla glared.

"Oh, I'm well aware. I'm not here for you. I'm here for a short dance with your new wife," Lilita flashed a smile at Laura. Laura blinked at her.

"Uh," Laura gaped, looking between Carmilla and her mother. She wasn't nearly drunk enough for what was about to happen. "S-sure?"

"Don't do anything funny," Carmilla warned her mom.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Lilita smirked, sliding in front of Carmilla to take her place as Laura's dance partner. Carmilla gave a puzzled glance as she stepped away, but she still stayed close by.

Okay, weird. Too weird.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" Lilita commented.

"If you're here to complain about how the wedding unfolded, it was out of my hands," Laura stated.

"Oh, on the contrary. A little quirkiness is always good for a story," Lilita scoffed.

"So you admit you're covering our wedding for publicity," Laura glared.

"Well, of course. It's a conclusion to a two-year long piece. The romance, the heart break, the reconciliation – the readers will eat it up. I'm a media mogul. I couldn't pass up such an opportunity," Lilita declared, and Laura rolled her eyes.

"Exploiting us as usual. So is that why you're talking to me? You want to gather my thoughts for an article? Or do you want me to write a follow up piece to the original divorce article I wrote since it achieved such high acclaim?" Laura interrogated.

"Please, I'm well aware your spend your talents on your own freelance work now," Lilita sneered. "Quite genius, I must admit. You and my daughter gallivant all over the world and while she blogs about the dining and attractions, you write articles on the less desirable aspects of the place you're visiting to raise awareness. From exploitation to embezzlement – impressive and successful. You even managed to cause the impeachment of a country's president."

"One of my more prouder moments," Laura stated.

"Well, don't forget you never would have received the attention you have without my influence and Carmilla's connections," Lilita retorted. Laura let out a sigh.

"So you're here to take credit for all that I do? Did you want something? Is this your form of blackmail payback?" Laura questioned. Lilita let out a rough laugh.

"Not today, little pet. I'm actually here to thank you," Lilita revealed, to Laura's surprise.

"Thank me?" Laura inquired. "Because of the story I gave you by drunkenly marrying your daughter?"

"Partially. But mostly because of your affect on Carmilla," Lilita said. "When you two first started your courtship, I mentioned seeing a change in Carmilla. An openness and… light that I had never seen in her before. This may surprise you but, after my work, Carmilla is a close second."

"That… doesn't surprise me at all, actually."

"Regardless. After the break up, I saw the light fade from Carmilla. She gained some of it back a tad when she started travelling, but it was never the same. So when I saw the opportunity to restore that light to Carmilla's life, I took it," Lilita explained. Laura stared at her.

"So, when you made us stay together for the story-"

"Oh, it was for the story, of course, but again, there was a secondary motive. The public events, the date – all with a goal of maybe bringing you both back together," Lilita said.

"So you're taking credit for our relationship, too," Laura huffed.

"Of course, dear. Taking credit for all sorts is how you become a media mogul," Lilita cackled. "But, ultimately, I do recognize you made the choice to stay with her. And thus, I finally got to see that light restored to my daughter. For that, I thank you."

"That's… unexpected," Laura blinked.

"I do have my moments. And this is a special occasion," Lilita stated. "Besides, you may be a snivelling, meddling little mouse of a girl-"

"Thanks."

"But you are considered my daughter-in-law now. That puts you… somewhere down the list of things I care about," Lilita muttered.

"That's the nicest thing I have ever heard you say," Laura smirked.

"Don't get used to it," Lilita said through gritted teeth. "Know that if you ever hurt my daughter, you will regret it. Severely."

"You won't have to worry about wasting resources on making my life miserable. I promise," Laura nodded.

"I'll hold you to that," Lilita stepped away, beckoning Carmilla towards them. "You're a talented girl, Laura. If you ever _do_ wish to collaborate on something, let me know. Maybe together we can impeach another president."

Lilita smirked at the both of them before sauntering off. Carmilla immediately took Laura into her arms.

"What was that about? Did she hurt you? Steal your soul?" Carmilla questioned, looking Laura over.

"No, no. I'm fine. As usual, I can handle your mother," Laura looked over at Lilita, who was flirtatiously talking to a business partner. "She… has her moments."

"I'll give her that," Carmilla sighed. Laura draped herself over Carmilla, tugging her close. The song had become more upbeat, but they still swayed slowly.

"Carm, you happy?" Laura asked.

"Ecstatic," Carmilla replied, giving Laura a soft kiss.

"Me too," Laura sighed, resting her head on Carmilla's shoulder.

"Love you, my beautiful wife," Carmilla murmured.

"Love you, too."

* * *

"Oh fuck, fuck, **fuck** ," Laura cried, her back arching, bare chest pressing into Carmilla's.

"God, Laura, you feel so good," Carmilla groaned, her fingers working inside Laura, her own centre grinding up against Laura's thigh.

"Oh my god, shit, fuck, keep going. Oh, god," Laura moaned, jutting her hips into Carmilla's motions. "I'm… close. God, Carmilla, I'm close. Fuck!"

"I could touch you like this all day," Carmilla groaned, bending forward to take Laura's nipple into her mouth.

She couldn't hold back anymore.

Laura reached her climax for what felt like the 100th time that day, her body shaking as she clamped around Carmilla, riding out the spasms. Carmilla let out a low moan at the sensation, her damp heat slamming down against Laura's thigh as she let Laura's orgasm drive her over her own edge.

They collapsed, Carmilla falling on top of Laura like a deadweight. They were completely exhausted, their limps tingling, muscles like jelly, heads swimming.

"If you give me one more orgasm, I think I'll die," Laura panted.

"A good way to go," Carmilla mumbled. "What a honeymoon."

"No kidding," Laura sighed.

"There's so much I want to show you in New Orleans and we haven't even left the hotel room yet," Carmilla huffed.

"We have plenty of time. I'm sure we'll get to have sex in that abandoned amusement park you talked about," Laura noted.

"Sounds like a recipe for tetanus," Carmilla chuckled.

"I'm up to date on my shots," Laura sighed, her arms wrapping around Carmilla. "There's also some things I want to look into, if you don't mind."

"Always the journalist," Carmilla muttered. "This trip is supposed to be for pleasure, not work."

"I know, but – Carm, there's still so many people suffering from the consequences of Hurricane Katrina and, surprise, most of those families are impoverished people of colour. I can't just ignore that," Laura declared. Carmilla let out a long sigh.

"I do love it when you get all passionate about social justice," Carmilla stated.

"So you're with me?" Laura asked.

"All the way," Carmilla confirmed. "Just as long as we get a bit of sightseeing in."

"Deal," Laura agreed, tilting her head and lifting Carmilla up to give her a kiss, her hand with her wedding band tangling with Carmilla's.

And that was that.

The rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had a good time. Thank you for everyone who commented and kudos'd. Knowing you enjoyed this crazy trope-filled blunder makes it all worth it. May you all find your own happy ending. 
> 
> Goodnight, Hollstein.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, hope you enjoyed reading that thing that you just read. If you have any thoughts about the thing you just read, please let me know in the comments below. Be sure to remember to give this video a thumbs up and subscribe for more content-
> 
> Fuck. I'm talking like a YouTuber again.


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